BALLADS

DESCRIPTION

• A poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas. • Traditional ballads are typically of unknown

authorship, having been passed on orally from one generation to the next as part of the folk culture.

EARLY BALLADS OFTEN INCLUDED:

• Tragic love• Domestic conflicts• Wars• Shipwrecks• Sensational crimes• Exploits of outlaws

EXAMPLE

I often contradict myself.Oh no, I never do.I argue with me day and night.That simply isnt true.

Oh yes it is. Oh no it's not.I do this all day long.Oh no I don't. Oh yes I do.That's right. No way! It's wrong.

I'm really quite agreeable.I argue night and day.I love to be around myself.I wish I'd go away.

So if you see me arguing,it's certain that you won't.I like to contradict myself.I promise you I don't.

--Kenn Nesbitt

EXAMPLE

Writing your own Ballad

TODAY

Remind yourself of the ‘ingredients’ neededin writing a ballad:

• Tells a tragic story• 3 stanzas • Beginning • Middle• End

• 4 line stanzas• Rhyme scheme: abcb• Regular, strong rhythm• Longer first and third line • May use dialogue and questions

STAGE TWO

• Pick a recent or past news story upon which to base your ballad.• Find as much information as you can about the

story.• Brainstorm which details that you might want to

include.

STAGE THREE

• Now, think of some techniques that you could use in your ballad - try to use the following in your ballad:

similemetaphor

personificationalliteration

onomatopoeia

STAGE FOURNOW PLAN WHAT YOU WILL DESCRIBE IN EACH STANZA

OF YOUR BALLAD.

• How will you set the scene in your first stanza?• What will you describe in your second

stanza? Etc.• Which characters will speak?• What dialogue will you use?• Finally will it have a moral at the end?

What will it be?

NOW…

• Start drafting.• Remember to write in pencil… you will need

to change and edit your work as you go.• Remember you should be using a ‘abcb’

rhyme scheme and a regular, strong rhythm• Ask people to read your draft and make

suggestions for improvements.• Then write your final version.