Thursday, October 15, 2015

The Ballad of Barbara Randall Door

During first quarter, we spent a great deal of time discussing themes, literary devices, characterization, and interpretation. Now, it is time to up the ante. For poetry, we have delved into the types of feet, lines, rhymes, and stanzas to better identify structure. To put these elements into practice, we looked at Ballads -- the quatrains, the rhyme schemes, and the repetition of song-like narratives. Our first ballad, "Bonnie Barbara Allan," features a differing rhyme scheme and patterns to indicate the differences between life (her) and death (him), repetition of several words (very, mother, round), and dialogue to complete characterization. To continue with balladry, "Lord Randall" and "Get Up and Bar the Door" feature the rhyming, the dialogue, and some conflicted mother-son and husband-wife relationships. Overall, I think we learned that the silent game if an effective competition until it is midnight and mischief-makers waltz into our abode.


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