Final answer:
The 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' by Martin Luther King Jr. and the 'Ballad of Birmingham' by Dudley Randall both address the civil rights events in Birmingham, with the letter discussing nonviolent protest and calling for immediate action against racial injustice, while the poem mourns the loss of innocent lives due to racial violence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correspondence between the Letter from a Birmingham Jail and the poem Ballad of Birmingham lies in their focus on the civil rights movement, particularly the events in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail is a profound articulation of the struggle for civil rights and a defense of nonviolent protest. It was written during his incarceration after leading a nonviolent demonstration against racial segregation. King's letter was a response to a public statement made by eight white Alabama clergymen against King's actions in Birmingham, expressing the need for racial harmony and a gradual approach to civil rights. He argues for the moral necessity to act against injustice immediately rather than waiting. On the other hand, the Ballad of Birmingham, written by Dudley Randall, is a poem that reflects on the tragic bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, where four young African American girls were killed. This poem emphasizes the loss of innocence and the devastating impact of racial violence.