Creative Writing: Poetry, Lesson Three
Tuesday, January 24, 8th period
Professor Chaucer is sitting behind his desk. He looks hungover, but in a better mood than he did yesterday. Which should tell you something about the kind of day he had yesterday. There's coffee (regular and decaf) and muffins set out on a table to the side of the classroom.
First off, I'd like to thank Kiki for again arranging the snacks for class. Please help yourselves. Today we're going to discuss more elements of poetry and the ballad form. You'll also be presenting your writing assignments from last week.
[LECTURE 1] We'll begin with Figures of speech. There are numerous examples of this element, but these are the most common.
Personification occurs when an object, animal or abstract term is given human qualities. Example: a dog with the capacity for human speech.
Apostrophe is a manner of addressing someone or something that is invisible or not ordinarily spoken to. Example: addressing part of a speech to 'Love' or 'Death' (obviously, not our DEATH, however).
Hyperbole, often referred to as 'overstatement', is the use of exaggeration for effect. Its opposite, understatement, occurs when more is implied than is stated. Examples: to say that you would die if you failed this class is 'overstatement', to say that the ocean is a bit wet is 'understatement'.
Metonymy is the substitution of the name of a thing with that of an object or concept that is closely related. A form of metonymy is Synecdoche, where a part of a thing is used to stand in for the whole, or vice versa. Transferred epithet, another form of metonymy, applies the attributes characteristic of a thing to another which is closely related. Examples: substituting the word 'grave' for 'death' is metonymy, saying that a person 'leant a hand' when meaning they gave the assistance of his entire self is synecdoche, stating that a herd of sheep is sleeping by saying that the bells they wear are asleep would be transferred epithet.
Paradox refers to a situation which at first appears to be self-contradictory but on reflection makes some sense. Example: saying that a peasant's world is greater than that of a rich world traveler would seem inaccurate until you take into account the idea of a spiritual world that the peasant may inhabit but the traveler may lack.
[LECTURE 2] Later in the term we'll be talking more about the concept of music lyrics as poetry, but today we're going to discuss an old and very specific form of music that's heavily tied to poetry: the ballad. A ballad is a story in a song, usually a narrative song or poem. It generally describes a past occurrance, which may be heroic, romantic or satirical, political, and very often catastrophic. The story is related in the third person, usually with foreshortened alternating four- and three-stress lines (called ballad meter) and simple repeating rhymes, and often with a refrain. If it is based on political or religious themes, a ballad may then be a version of a hymn. Ballads should not be confused with the ballade, a 14th and 15th century French verse form.
The origin of the word ballad suggested something that could be danced to. Ballads are most often folk poetry in a musical format, passed along orally from generation to generation, set to conventional tunes and usually sung by a solo voice, the hearers joining in the refrain. Until written, the content evolves and changes over time, unlike a more literary poem. Unlike more traditional poetry, ballads do not employ a complicated explanation. The narrative is usually simple, clear and easy to read. Emotion is usually kept to a minimum, and the motives of characters are rarely probed in any great detail. Dialogue is kept to an economical level, but frequently used to empower the language.
The basic characteristics of a ballad are:
*Tells a story, typically in third person narrative.
*Focuses on actions and dialogue rather than characteristics and narration.
*Employs a simple metrical structure and sentence structure.
*Sung to a modal melody.
*Exists in oral tradition, passed down by word of mouth. Therefore, it undergoes changes and is of anonymous authorship.
*Usually has a theme that is not directly spoken.
*Often based on a true story.
Repetition and refrains are also used in many ballads. This is a strong resemblance to many forms of traditional music. Many traditional ballads have themes related to the supernatural, and occasionally ballads contain a moral dimension to them, usually expressed in a final verse.
Your reading assignment included several of what are called the "Child Ballads" -- a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. The ballads vary in age. While many of them had been individually printed, for example as broadsides, Child's late 19th century collection was far more comprehensive than any previous collection.
The Child Ballads deal with subjects typical to many ballads: romance, supernatural experiences, historical events, morality, riddles, murder, and folk heroes (there are an inordinate number about Robin Hood). Some of the ballads are also rather bawdy.
[DISCUSSION] Give me an example of a ballad -- and it can be a modern song if you like -- and explain how it meets the criteria for ballad form that I've just described.
[WRITING ASSIGNMENT] Please read your sonnet assignment from last week to the class. Kiki will then collect them from you.
***Assignment for next week: Read Troylus and Creseyd.***
Class Roster
oatmanspatient
teen_twin
12parseckessel
time_agent
kikidelivers (TA) -- advanced student
death_n_binky -- advanced student
sharon_valerii
future_visions
Auditing: gotcanewillpoke
Professor Chaucer is sitting behind his desk. He looks hungover, but in a better mood than he did yesterday. Which should tell you something about the kind of day he had yesterday. There's coffee (regular and decaf) and muffins set out on a table to the side of the classroom.
First off, I'd like to thank Kiki for again arranging the snacks for class. Please help yourselves. Today we're going to discuss more elements of poetry and the ballad form. You'll also be presenting your writing assignments from last week.
[LECTURE 1] We'll begin with Figures of speech. There are numerous examples of this element, but these are the most common.
Personification occurs when an object, animal or abstract term is given human qualities. Example: a dog with the capacity for human speech.
Apostrophe is a manner of addressing someone or something that is invisible or not ordinarily spoken to. Example: addressing part of a speech to 'Love' or 'Death' (obviously, not our DEATH, however).
Hyperbole, often referred to as 'overstatement', is the use of exaggeration for effect. Its opposite, understatement, occurs when more is implied than is stated. Examples: to say that you would die if you failed this class is 'overstatement', to say that the ocean is a bit wet is 'understatement'.
Metonymy is the substitution of the name of a thing with that of an object or concept that is closely related. A form of metonymy is Synecdoche, where a part of a thing is used to stand in for the whole, or vice versa. Transferred epithet, another form of metonymy, applies the attributes characteristic of a thing to another which is closely related. Examples: substituting the word 'grave' for 'death' is metonymy, saying that a person 'leant a hand' when meaning they gave the assistance of his entire self is synecdoche, stating that a herd of sheep is sleeping by saying that the bells they wear are asleep would be transferred epithet.
Paradox refers to a situation which at first appears to be self-contradictory but on reflection makes some sense. Example: saying that a peasant's world is greater than that of a rich world traveler would seem inaccurate until you take into account the idea of a spiritual world that the peasant may inhabit but the traveler may lack.
[LECTURE 2] Later in the term we'll be talking more about the concept of music lyrics as poetry, but today we're going to discuss an old and very specific form of music that's heavily tied to poetry: the ballad. A ballad is a story in a song, usually a narrative song or poem. It generally describes a past occurrance, which may be heroic, romantic or satirical, political, and very often catastrophic. The story is related in the third person, usually with foreshortened alternating four- and three-stress lines (called ballad meter) and simple repeating rhymes, and often with a refrain. If it is based on political or religious themes, a ballad may then be a version of a hymn. Ballads should not be confused with the ballade, a 14th and 15th century French verse form.
The origin of the word ballad suggested something that could be danced to. Ballads are most often folk poetry in a musical format, passed along orally from generation to generation, set to conventional tunes and usually sung by a solo voice, the hearers joining in the refrain. Until written, the content evolves and changes over time, unlike a more literary poem. Unlike more traditional poetry, ballads do not employ a complicated explanation. The narrative is usually simple, clear and easy to read. Emotion is usually kept to a minimum, and the motives of characters are rarely probed in any great detail. Dialogue is kept to an economical level, but frequently used to empower the language.
The basic characteristics of a ballad are:
*Tells a story, typically in third person narrative.
*Focuses on actions and dialogue rather than characteristics and narration.
*Employs a simple metrical structure and sentence structure.
*Sung to a modal melody.
*Exists in oral tradition, passed down by word of mouth. Therefore, it undergoes changes and is of anonymous authorship.
*Usually has a theme that is not directly spoken.
*Often based on a true story.
Repetition and refrains are also used in many ballads. This is a strong resemblance to many forms of traditional music. Many traditional ballads have themes related to the supernatural, and occasionally ballads contain a moral dimension to them, usually expressed in a final verse.
Your reading assignment included several of what are called the "Child Ballads" -- a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. The ballads vary in age. While many of them had been individually printed, for example as broadsides, Child's late 19th century collection was far more comprehensive than any previous collection.
The Child Ballads deal with subjects typical to many ballads: romance, supernatural experiences, historical events, morality, riddles, murder, and folk heroes (there are an inordinate number about Robin Hood). Some of the ballads are also rather bawdy.
[DISCUSSION] Give me an example of a ballad -- and it can be a modern song if you like -- and explain how it meets the criteria for ballad form that I've just described.
[WRITING ASSIGNMENT] Please read your sonnet assignment from last week to the class. Kiki will then collect them from you.
***Assignment for next week: Read Troylus and Creseyd.***
Class Roster
oatmanspatient
teen_twin
12parseckessel
time_agent
kikidelivers (TA) -- advanced student
death_n_binky -- advanced student
sharon_valerii
future_visions
Auditing: gotcanewillpoke