The++Ballad+is+a+great+form

Ladies and Gentleman, I am proud to announce that their is another form that I like: the ballad. Not only is it a form that must be followed, but it is easy to follow. The form will not restrict creativity. Also, the ballad is simple, but elegant, like a Benedictine monastery. The simplicity makes it both easy to write and understand. And because of this simplicity of form, the poet can write beautiful ballads (sorry about the alliteration). I read some of the ballads that are in the book, and there is not a single one that I do not like so far. I will thouroughly enjoy studying this form and examples of it.1200266817

Your post is based on a few assumptions that I would just like to clear up. First of all, you say that the form of the ballad will not restrict creativity. Well, Wendell Berry and I would like to say that form usually doesn't restrict creativity. Berry says "form serves us best when it works as an obstruction to baffle us and deflect our intended course." (Poetry and Marriage pg 205). I say that form is what keeps a poet grounded. And form should just be something that accentuates what the poet has to say, and therefore not something that restricts his or her creativity at all. Secondly, I'm not quite sure that the fact that the ballad's form is simple makes the poem any easier to read, makes the poem easier to write, or makes the poem any more beautiful. Something about that statement isn't sitting right with me. Thirdly, you continue to state reasons why you like the form, but could it at all be because the first few we have read have been by "anonymous" (or have been created over time not specifically by someone purposefully trying hard to make things perfect) and have been written in "local speech"?

These two last forms draw my attention. Something that the ballad could often do is provide a snapshot of a time period. I suppose any type of poem could do this, however, the ballad in particular provides the reader with an idea of what was going on at the time when the ballad was recorded, and how these events were communicated. Common people formed many of these narratives, which draws me to them. It seems more of a natural poem to me, but I'm not sure if that makes sense to anyone else, or if it's an adequate way to say that. Thoughts? 1200362110

I like berry too, and I do think that the form keeps a poet grounded. Perhaps I should have been clearer. Since the ballad's form is simpler, it is easier to adhere to. The poet will therefore find it much easier to express himself. In a more complex form, however, it is harder to do this. But, as I have said before, the complex form catalyzes creativity because the poet must find new ways to express himself. Therefore, I still hold that poems with a more complex form are better. But the ballad is still a good form, even though I think it is for less skilled poets. either way, both forms cause creativity. One just causes more.

I don't care what the form is, as long as it is followed.1200449391

I have to agree with JHe; the ballad is a simple and classic form. Unlike the iambic pantameter of the sonnet, the ballad has a flow that makes it easy to follow. I like this form, and I have to agree that it allows for a lot of creativity and although it is usually directed toward certain topics, I think it allows for the writer to venture outside of the mold of loss and sadness. It doesn't have such a restrictive form that it is largely noticeable if a writer doesn't adhere exactly to the style, like some of the forms, such as the villanelle or sestina.

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I also like the ballad because there is so much versatility available with this form. It is a great way to tell a story and it is easy to make a song out of it. The ballad can be performed in many different ways. I think that it is the most universal form that we have read so far because poets can write anything form a nineteenth century story about lovers to twentieth century pop culture poems like "We real cool". I also like it because although it is so versatile, it is also strikingly simple; there are few restrictions or rules to this form. 1200938383

When we first started the ballad section, the first thing that came into my mind was slow love songs, which was interesting because Br. Tom started us out with two Bob Dylan songs that were mildly slow. And the whole idea about one lover talking to another was thrown out the window, but not completely. I noticed the love in many of the ballads that were directed toward sailors lost at sea. After a while, the ballad didn't even seem to be a poem any more. I was absorbed into the way some of the poets crafted fictional stories into stanzas with end rhymes. I think that the ballad does have several limitations when it comes to form, but they are also bendable. We just read the ballad today with two lines per stanza, yet it was still considered a ballad. Not to mention that the poet can make it as long or as short as they wish it to be. Also, the only items that should rhyme are the last words of the first and the third lines. Not so hard! 1201132835