Comparing Dudley Randall's Poems Of Booker T And W. E. B.

“I saw dawn upon them like the sun a vision of a time when all men walk proudly through the earth and the bombs and missiles lie at the bottom of the ocean like the bones of dinosaurs buried under the shale of eras. “Randall”. Dudley Randall a prominent African American renowned for his creative take on African culture, many even consider Randall to be one of the pioneers of poetry to this day. Randall’s poetry reflects his ancestors culture and also key elements his family instilled in him, such as justice, education and appreciation for poetry. Randall has written many poems related to his culture, one being, “Ballad of Birmingham”, in which he directs his focus on the racial injustice, another one of his poems “Booker T and W. E. B.” is

Martin Luther King Jr., who believed in the same rights for African Americans as did Dudley Randall, in which Randall expressed through his poetry. In both of his poems Randalls main target is to express that African Americans did not have equal rights. In his poem “Ballad of Birmingham” it is clear to readers that no one of color was safe from the violence that inequality possessed, and similar in “Booker T. and W.E.B.” even though one man did not agree with Randalls views he was able to incorporate the importance of equality. Another way Randall expresses his thoughts to his readers is through his vivid imagery. His imagery is also a metaphor of the malign treatment African Americans endured. “Ballad of Birmingham” paints a picture of an innocent child that was only a bystander of the harassment her culture faced. The imagery in the other poem, “Booker T. and W.E.B” illustrates that no matter what, many African Americans stood up for what they believe in. Another component to Randalls successful poems was the ideal setting. Both poems took place during the Civil Rights movement, which had the goal to secure rights for African Americans. Because of the setting of the poems Randall was able to make the story realistic for readers, even though they were fictional, but conveyed historical importance. And lastly, the irony of both poems relate to the stagnant rights African Americans were given during that period of time. The irony in “Ballad of Birmingham” is that the white men do not believe that African Americans were treated poorly, and the irony in “Booker T. and W.E.B” is that an African American sees the same way as the white men from the other poem, which really conflicts with other African Americans. Randall uses the irony to inform readers of the different views that surfaced during the