Abstract By analyzing and comparing traditional and modern ballads, some characteristics of traditional ballads imitated by modern ballad writers can be found. The examples of the former are "Sir Patrick Spens" and "Lord Rendal," and those of the latter are "The Murder of Maria Marten" and "Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall. The discussion of the similarities between these four ballads in this paper focuses on the structure of a ballad stanza, the use of repetition and the manner of story-telling.
From the Paper "Another interesting similarity between the ages of ballads is in the objectivity in which the stories are told. The composer has little emotional reactions and the focus is on the events of the story rather than the effects on the storyteller. In a ballad, therefore, the personality of the narrator is not important. The dialogue in "Ballad of Birmingham," which takes place between a mother and her young daughter, gives an example of a rhyme using a question and answer pattern (Laws 59-60). The little girl asks if she may "go downtown" to join "a Freedom March today?" and the mother answers, "No, baby, no, you may not go" ("Ballad of Birmingham" 1, 4-5)."
Abstract This paper examines the essentials of the ballad form, including the motif, theme, variance, rhyme, meter, repetition, vocabulary and structure. The paper compares the ballads of Sir Patrick Spence and John Henry based on these properties.
From the Paper "Ballads are stories set to music and they usually have verses consisting of four lines each, but this can be extended to six lines, with sometimes a longer verse being inserted among the shorter ones. The ballad was originally an oral tradition and the use of traditional motifs and phrases was relied on heavily to flesh out the stories of the ballad."
Abstract This paper is a biography of Edgar Allan Poe along with a literary analysis of his poem "Ulalume: A Ballad". This essay includes an extensive biographical sketch of Poe to perhaps aid the reader to better understand his works. In addition, the author examines Poe's use of rhyme scheme, meter, and repetition, and overall interpretation of Poe's intended meaning.
From the Paper "The poet and critic, Edgar Allan Poe is considered one of the greatest American authors to have ever written throughout literary history. He composed many short stories and poems from the late 1820's to his death in 1849. Because of the believed complex nature of his psyche, it is vital that the reader know Poe's background and influences in order to analyze his poetry properly."
Abstract This paper examines how "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" by Carson McCullers is an interesting tale that focuses on strange nature of the emotion called love. It looks at how it deals with interesting yet complicated relationship between three people who are not our average protagonists where looks and appearance are concerned. It also discusses how relationships play an important role for the simple reason that author has taken up the uniqueness of this emotion of love as the central theme.
From the Paper "Miss Amelia is not our usual female protagonist because she is neither beautiful nor rich. She is an ordinary woman with less than average looks and an unusual appearance. About 6'1 tall, she is not very feminine but is well respected in her town because of her small store where she sells wine. Marvin Macy is a handsome man who lacks morals since he is an outlaw and has often been convicted of stealing and robbing. However for some inexplicable reason, he falls in love with Miss Amelia and this brings us to the strangeness of this emotion."
Abstract This paper examines Wadsworth's view that the creation of poetry is an outward expression of an inner emotion or experience. The paper cites text from "Preface to Lyrical Ballads" to illustrate this view and how Wadsworth is able to prove his point.
From the Paper "Wordsworth begins his "preface to Lyrical Ballads" by focusing on issues of style. He claims, "Humble and rustic life was generally chosen, because, in that condition, the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint, and speak a plainer and more emphatic language" (18). He believes that feelings "coexist in a state of greater simplicity" (18) and, as a result, are "more accurately contemplated, and more forcibly communicated" (18). From this perspective, Wordsworth is aiming the success of poetry as an art form at the human experience. His premise depends on the notion that poetry is meant to be a communication tool first and foremost. As a result, it is the responsibility of the poet to express him or herself in a manner appropriate. Wordsworth is correct in assuming that unless readers can gain pleasure from reading something they do not understand, the poet should descend from his or her "supposed height" and "express himself as other men express themselves" (23). This statement lies at the very heart of Wordsworth's notion."
Abstract The paper discusses Dudley Randall's poem, "Ballad of Birmingham," with an emhasis on the irony in the poem.
From the Paper "In Dudley Randall's poem "Ballad of Birmingham" he actively portrays the life and death of one young girl in the space of eight quatrains. Martin Luther King Jr's church in Birmingham, Alabama was actually bombed by white terrorists. Four little girls died in the explosion. This poem is based on the real life events of that attack."
Tags: dudley randall, balad of birmingham, irony, martin luther king
Abstract The paper discusses the movie "The Ballad of Narayama" (Narayama Bushiko), directed by Shohei Imamura, which portrays both an image of rural 19th century Japanese life and values, and the forces that began to change and shape this society. The paper comments that the movie is based on the book of the same name by novelist Fukasawa, which in turn was derived from an ancient folktale about a society in which the members traditionally abandon their elderly to die of exposure on a mountain top. The paper notes that from this evidence, we can then assume that Imamura brought this fictional legend to screen in order to present, perhaps even to the point of embellishment, the historical Japanese tradition of individual sacrifice for the good of the whole. This paper analyzes first Imamura's practice of appropriating natural images in order to explain the values and lives of the villagers, and secondly, his meticulous portrayal of the intricate relationships and attitudes present in both the family and village of traditional 19th century Japan.
From the Paper "This internal conflict between the more modern humanism and historical Japanese personal sacrifice for the group as personified in Tatsuhei must have resonated with the 1930's audience of Japan, who were, at the time, in the midst of a war, and performing many personal sacrifices of their own on behalf of their country. It raised enough of a response in Europe also, who were then declaring the death of capitalism, and making a move to socialism, to win the grand prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France."
Tags: grudgingly, naturalistic, prestigious, Cannes, film, festival
Abstract This essay examines Auden's poem, focusing on the ballad like quality of the lines and the images that resemble a fairytale. Part ballad, part nursery rhyme, part lullaby, the shape of the poem soothes and entices the reader, while the content draws one into a world of devastation, death, and betrayal. Auden's fluid mix of styles are mentioned as well as poetry's ability to give pleasure and comfort.
From the Paper "The poem takes the shape of a ballad. The normal ballad stanza has 4 beats in the first line, 3 in the second, 4 in the third, and 3 in the fourth, and lines 2 and 4 rhyme. Auden uses a variant in which lines one and three have only 3 beats, instead of 4. But like all ballads, this poem sounds like a song (and, in fact, it has been set to music by composer Elizabeth Lutyens"
This paper helps to explain Coleridge's Biblical images, his reasons for using them, and what his positive spin on traditionally negative imagery means for spirituality post Enlightenment.
1,597 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 2 sources, 2000, $ 52.95
Abstract This paper examines biblical imagery in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and the way in which Coleridge's use of traditionally negative Christian imagery advocates a post Enlightenment renewal of religion through nature. Although his use of imagery and language is quite opposite to the advice given to poets by Wordsworth in the second edition of Lyrical Ballads, Coleridge accomplished many of the goals Wordsworth sets by emphasizing the importance of natural symbols in the spirituality of the mariner. This paper makes use of quotes by Wordsworth, Coleridge (from "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"), and the Bible.
From the Paper "Samuel Taylor Coleridge's ?The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere,? which begins the second volume of Lyrical Ballads, falls short of Wordsworth's appeal for simple imagery and language, but it is through the complexity of its imagery and language that the spiritual transformation that Wordsworth appealed to is expressed. By using biblical imagery early in the poem, and later using imagery that positively violates traditional Christian positive imagery in favor of imagery that valorizes nature, Coleridge iterates that spiritual change of Christianity to the new relationship between humankind and nature."
Explains how Hughes' "Ballad of the Landlord and Madam" and the "Rent Man" use similar voice, tone, and theme, to illuminate the African-American condition of the 1940's.
1,405 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 46.95
Abstract This is an essay on two poems of the prolific African-American writer, Langston Hughes: "Ballad of the Landlord and Madam" and "The Rent Man". It focuses on the fictional elements of voice, point of view, tone, and theme. The meaning is illustrated through examining the words of both poems.
From the Paper "Langston Hughes uses a strikingly similar voice in "Ballad of the Landlord" and ?Madam and the Rent Man.? The point of view of both poems is first person, which greatly increases the believability of both poems? tone. The attitude is one of anger and despair, and it's this attitude that conveys the meaning Hughes is trying to make. His meaning has to do with race and class issues. Hughes is illustrating the frustration of oppressed African Americans and the racial prejudice and social injustice they face.'
Abstract This paper is a comparison of the Romantic Era and the Neoclassical Age. The romantics looked into their souls, and their hearts for what moved them to write. Unlike the previous period which was very analytical, and unemotional, the Romantic era created a radical change in poetic style and mentality. The Romantic era also saw the return of the sonnet and the ballad.
From the paper:
"Romantic poetry was first and foremost written to play on a man or woman's emotions; everything else performed a secondary function. Nature and children no longer played small parts in Romantic literature, but were often found as the central point to a poem. Romanticism is interesting because not only does it base its views on historical values, but also because it is radically different to the previous Age of Enlightenment. The two are completely opposite to one another, sharing no values or points of view."
Abstract "Ballad of Birmingham" is a poem written about a mother that tells her daughter to not march in the streets and allows her to go to a church. Sadly, the girl is killed at the church. This actually happened in Birmingham in 1963.
Abstract Compare William Wordsworth's "Preface to the Lyrical Ballads" and Alexander Pope's "Essay on Criticism". Discussion about their views on critics is similar with the viewpoint that nature is a vital part of poetry.
Abstract Isolation is a word that denotes loneliness and being alone. This is not merely a physical condition, but can be a state of mind, as well. This paper discusses the stories of William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily", and McCullers"s, "The Ballad of the Sad Caf"", in which this theme is highlighted. It shows how both writers create protagonists that are isolated due to their thoughts and struggles in the course of life, rather than solely by society and the constraints it puts on people.
From the Paper "Isolation is a harsh word that brings up an image of a person living alone in the desert or equally far away place that has little human habitation. The word is rarely used for people living in the middle of a social town or city for it seems impossible that a person could be alone in the midst of a relatively large population. Yet, some people refuse to accept that their lives must be inexplicably linked with the others who live amongst the society for humans are not social animals for recreation purposes, though that is an added advantage, the fact is humans are social for survival. For without the human touch even an infant slowly dies. Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner is a story of a woman who seems to be lost in her search for love and companionship, through out her life."
An analysis of the theme of sense of community and the impact on the individual in Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and Carson McCullers' "Ballad of the Sad Cafe".
Abstract This place examines how the cafe in "Ballad of the Sad Cafe" and the porch in "Their Eyes Were Watching God" both represent people existing as part of a community. It looks at how, in both cases, the main character is struggling to balance their need to be part of that community with their own individual needs. The various functions of the two community settings are discussed in order to show how the community setting is a place that is the opposite of loneliness and alienation, a place where people are judged, and a place where the conflict between your needs and the needs of society plays out.
From the Paper "The community setting can be considered as a place that represents the opposite of alienation and loneliness. When individuals are in this community place, they become connected to the larger society rather than disconnected from it. Fowler (260) notes that a dread of isolation is apparent in Ballad Of The Sad Cafe. This is seen in the character of Amelia, who is initially known as a distant and unfriendly person. Due to this part of her nature, she remains disconnected from the larger society and alone because of this. This changes when Cousin Lymon becomes part of her life. He initially meets people in Amelia's store, where a gathering of the town takes place. This meeting represents the point where Amelia begins to become socially connected."
