Singing the Same Song: A Narrative Analysis Comparing Two Versions of 'The Ballad of Medgar Evers'

• In Event: 'A Change Is Gonna Come': Reflecting on the Voices and Strategies of Change Agents from the Civil Rights Movement

Abstract

Using a comparative narrative analysis two versions of “The Ballad of Medgar Evers“ were explored. Each version, both written by a man of a different race for a different audience, constructed an effective narrative of the work and death of the civil rights activist painting Evers as the protagonist and his murder as the antagonist. Both songs expressed the death of Evers was unjust and an example of the racial tension existing during that time.

Author

• Adria Goldman, Howard University