Analysing the various

forms of poetry :
Ballads
Prepared by :
Sharvini
Dhivyah
Ballads were particularly
characterised of British and
Irish popular poetry and song
from the later medieval period
until the 19
th
century and used
extensively across Europe and
later the America, Australia
and North Africa.
Many Ballads were written and
sold as single sheet
broadsides. The form was
often used by poets and
composers from the 18
th

century onwards to produce
lyrical ballads.
In later 19
th
century it took on
the meaning of a slow form of
popular love song and the
term is now often used as
synonymous with love song,
particularly the pop or rock
power ballad.
Features of
Ballads
narrative
written in
verse
simple and
easy-to-
understand
language or
dialect
hardships,
tragedies,
love and
romance
Mostly
contains a lot
of dialogue
Does not have
long narration
of the event
as the length
of Ballad is
very short .
seldom offer a
direct message
about a certain
event, character
or situation.

Clancy of the Overflow

Narrative written in verse
Ex:I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better
Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years
ago,

Simple and easy to understand language
Ex: I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy

Seldom offer a direct message
Ex: Life of the country versus life in the city


Structure
Consists of
40-50 lines,
but
sometimes,
it can be as
short as 12
lines.
written in
four-line
stanzas or
quatrains
Normally,
only the
second and
fourth lines
rhyme is a
Ballad
stanza.
There is
usually a
refrain (
repeated
line or
verse)
Clancy of the Overflow
Consist of 32 lines
8 stanzas,4 lines each,with the second and fourth lime
rhyming
Eg :- . The river on its bars,
(paragraph 4,line 2)
. of the everlasting stars.
(paragraph 4, line 4)


Rhyme

Use one of three different types of rhyme: abac, aabb
or abcb.

Rhythm

It describe where the emphasis is laced, words are
emphasized and what words arent.

Almost all ballads have verses consisting of four or
six lines and used one of two basic rhythm.
Example :4-3-4-3 or 4-4-4-4-4


Language
As many as the
ballads that we
have today were
taken from
Scottish singer,
a great number
of them are in
Scottish dialect.
Many words are
English, spelled
as the Scot
would
pronounced
them: example
doon instead of
down.
Usage of words
As ballads are
meant to sung
rather than read,
spelling isnt of
great
importance.
The same goes
for grammar,
which is
sacrificed freely
for the sake of
rhythm and
rhyme.
The tone of
ballad is often
tragic with the
language being
simple and
impassive.


Paterson uses
evocative
language to
foreground or
privilege the
benefits of
country life over
town life.
He encourages
readers to accept
the beauty of
living off the land
by demonizing city
existence and
painting highly
idealized version
of life as a
drover.
EXAMPLES




Vision splendid
Sunlit plains
Wondrous
glory
Everlasting stars
Dingy little office
Stingy ray of sunlight
Foetid air
Foulness
Fiendish rattle
Uninviting
Gutter children
Hurrying
Pallid faces
Greedy
Stunted
VS
Life of the
country
versus life
in the city
It appears there is no
life in the city,in fact the
city takes away from
the life,it is a deathly
experience.
The city offers eternal
boredom, whereas the
country offers eternal
peace and harmony.
Whereas the city is
over-crowded with
desperate people and
pointless energy,in the
country there is
harmony in the nature.
References
http://literarydevices.net/ballad/
http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-54_u-254_t-651_c-
2519/ballads/nsw/ballads/skills-by-text-type-poetry/poetry-
overview
http://classroom.synonym.com/structure-ballad-1898.html