My+Boy+Willie

Before we began the ballad unit, we talked in class about how ballads are usually distanced and written in the 3rd person. Ballads normally don't take a moral position on the issue described. Characters are on an equally flat "moral plane." However, in "My Boy Willie," the poem starts out in first person. Quotations are also heavily used. But in the fourth stanza, the ballad goes into the traditional third person speech. It continues this way until the last stanza, "Ye must mourn in black for __my__ sailor boy." This use of the first person has a definite impact on the poem. My question is why does the author use this technique, and why does she/he switch back and forth between the two voices? I felt like it was a nice change from the rest of the ballads when it began in the first person. It seems much more personal, even more real. What were the positive aspects of using the two different voices? The negative aspects? I got the impression that because the poem was written in parts in first person, the poet was actually the woman in the poem. Any other ideas? 1202183810

This was one of my favorite ballads from the beginning when I read it. It has such a personal quality, which I think is in large part due to the use of first person. You can feel the narrator's worry and then her grief. Because she is the speaker, you feel more empathy for her. I also enjoyed the author's touch with switching to third person and then first person from the point of view of the captain of a ship. It adds a dramatic flair to the ballad, almost like you are hearing a play. Watching it being performed really brought this quality to life. That is the positive aspects of using two different perspectives. I really feel that "My Boy Willie" enthralled me more than the other ballads because of the differing perspective. The only negative aspect that I can think of is possible confusion. When I first began the line where it changes points of view, I had to pause for a second to regain the meaning of the poem. If the poem is read too quickly, the change can definiely lead to confusion. 1202250495

This was the ballad that my group chose to perform (Period H). We actually got really into the motions while we were singing it, because it did in a way almost come to life for us in our minds. I thought that it was one of the easier ballads to understand, actually, and I know that I really enjoyed acting it out. What's interesting is that to me this poem is very personable, the poet really lets out all of her emotions and reveals herself to us, yet we do not know who she is. It seems odd that this ballad in particular does not have an author's name attatched to it, because it is not just a narrative or the telling of a tale. Why is the author's name, "Anonymous?" Did the author intentionally not reveal herself, or was this poem found or submitted somewhere with no name? If this story was really true, maybe the author didn't want to write her name down, because it was too hard, it made her misery too real. That would make sense, but who knows? I went online and tried to find more out about the ballad. I found the lyrics listed on many websites under traditional sea songs, or something like songs for sailors, but there was never an author. This makes me think that this was passed down over the years through word of mouth, and then one day someone decided to write it down. Maybe a group of sailors made up this song one day out of boredom, or as a tribute to their girlfriends and wives back home and thier daily struggles and worries. Maybe it was entertainment for them or maybe something more deep. Any thoughts on why this ballad does not have an author? Although either way, I enjoyed this ballad. 1202254698

I also like this ballad because it tells a good story, but i think that the performance really brought it to life for me. Annie, I think "Last Kiss" was the perfect song to pick for this ballad and I think that you guys did a great job not just singing, but also performing it with the hand gestures. I think this author is very talented but kept her name anonymous because perhaps she wanted the poem to be judged completely by what it is not by who the author is. However, it could also be extremely old and the original author is unknown. Part of what I like about this poem is its versatility, although the period H performance was upbeat, I think it could have just as easily have been gloomy and sad.1202332478

Just because the name of the author is not listed, it doesn't really imply much. There is the possibility that the author didn't want to be known, but also it could just be one of those ballads that was not written to be published for money. Plus, I don't think that we can assume that the author is a woman. Of couse it is from a woman's point of view, but that doesn't mean a man couldn't have written it. In Period F, the group that performed his ballad did an excellent job. I thought it was really cool how they mixed recorded piano music with singing. One person sang the parts of the mother and the other person sang the parts of the ship captian. They were extremely animated and even used the lights for effects. I truly think this is how the ballad was supposed to be sung. If the Anonymous author saw and heard their interpretation, I think he or she would be extremely pleased. 1202256246

I too find it peculiar that a great ballad like this would be listed as written by “anonymous.” Anyways, “My Boy Willie” may be a cliché poem about love and sailors, but it still stands out for its qualities and rich description as a girlfriend/lover mourns for her beloved sailor boy. My favorite stanza was:

She wrung her hands and she tore her hair, And she sobbed and sighed in her despair, And with every sob she let fall a tear, And every sigh was for her Willie’s dear. Maybe this is just the Latin student in me, but I immediately pictured Ariadne from Catullus’s poem 64, in which Ariadne was deserted on an island by her beloved Theseus:

Fluctuating in her mind, she looks at him from afar, tossing great waves of concern And she fails to hold fast the woven headdress on her blonde hair nor is her chest covered by the fine-woven cloak… …All this which having been tossed down from her body… [lines 63-66]. The woman speaker in “My Boy Willie” is similar to Ariadne in that they are mourning their loves. However, I get the sense that although the girlfriend is upset in the ballad, she is a much stronger, rational woman than Ariadne. Ariadne is on the beach screaming, ripping off her garments and hair, throwing herself on the ground in grief over being left by Theseus. In “My Boy Willie,” the girlfriend is mourning in a serious, wistful manner. Granted, the scenarios of the two women are different as well. 1202311823

I agree that the shift in perspective in "My Boy Willie" was different than any of the other poems. In my opinion, the use of the first person made the emotions of the story much more affecting. Its as if we were talking to the narrator herself, as opposed to hearing the story as gossip--the emotional impact comes through much more strongly in the first person. On the other hand, the shift back to third person makes the actual action of the story more prominent. Therefore, I think that the shift allows both the strong first-hand emotions to come through as well as a clear picture of the action. Furthermore, I think that the use of the first person makes us realize how person this poem is, and how it could apply to any of us. It emphasizes the common theme of loss, and helps us to relate, because it is something we might be saying.

On a similar note, I really enjoyed the performance of this ballad during period H, and I thought that using an actual song was very clever. It serves to further emphasize the similarity of the theme of the ballad to so many other songs, and made me focus on the universal theme of love and loss. 1202345620