Essay Questions

What does the poem tell us about the relationship between the girl and her mother?

The relationship that the girl and her mother has is a good one. There is obviously love, respect and consideration between the two, and they also seem to have strong lines of open communication. The daughter is not a child who sneaks out of the house, or who lies about where she is going. She is obedient, even though she does not agree with her mother about where she should be going.

On a deeper level, the poem also illuminates the shift in their relationship; the daughter is growing up, testing her boundaries, more interested in adult things than childish ones. Her mother wants her to play at home, but the daughter is beginning to feel that play is something she has outgrown.The two are at the crossroads of the parent/child relationship, where the parent still views the child as a child, but the daughter is ready to leave childish things behind and gain more independence.

Why does the mother want to keep her daughter away from the protest?

The mother feels that her daughter may be in danger if the peaceful march becomes a violent protest. It is not that she thinks she will be the target of violence, more that she is afraid she will be an accidental victim of it. Her daughter only sees the reason for the march, and the hope that stems from it. Her mother sees the consequences of it and all of the worst case scenarios that could ensue. Her child could be trampled by a fast moving crowd who just don't see her. She could be knocked down by a jet of water if hoses are turned on protesters. She could be shot, injured or killed - it's just too dangerous for her to contemplate. It is not that her mother wants to quell her hope, or her interest in the world around her; she just wants to protect her from it as long as she can.

What is the main theme of this poem?

It would be easy to say that the main theme of the poem is racism. After all, it is set in a time of struggle, in a time of segregation. The main characters talk about the march that is about to take place. Their discussion is based upon the fact that the daughter wants to march, and the mother does not want her to.

However, the poem is not about racism at all, at least, this is not its primary theme. Segregated Birmingham is the backdrop for what happens within it. It is not the theme of it. The poem's key theme is that of parental loss, and the unimaginable heartache of a women who has been dealt life's cruelest irony when in an effort to keep her daughter away from danger and violence, realizes that she has actually sent her to the place where she will meet her death.