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The History of English in Ten Minutes

Medieval Background [IN pg.15]

Medieval narratives typically focus on themes related to courage, loyalty, betrayal, love, fear, and beauty. How does Knights Charging into Battle (p. 114) reflect some of those themes?

◦ Copy the prompt at the top of the page ◦ Respond thoughtfully and thoroughly, drawing on evidence from the image to support your claims

Words Worth Knowing

Ballad: a narrative poem in short stanzas of popular

origin, originally sung to a repeated tune.

Refrain: a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a

song or poem, especially at the end of each stanza; chorus.

Lord Randall

Introducing the Poem

Poetry of the People

Ballads were the poetry of the people, just as popular music is today. Ballads had subjects such as • domestic tragedy • false love • the supernatural

Lord Randall

Introducing the Poem

Song and Dance

The word ballad is derived from an Old French word meaning “dancing song.” The structure and meter of the English ballads make it clear that they were intended to be sung to music. Listen to part of the ballad.

Lord Randall

Introducing the Poem

Poetry of the People

The ballads of the Middle Ages • were passed down orally from singer to singer • had strong beats and repetition • were a gift of story passed from generation to generation

Lord Randall

Literary Focus: Ballad

Ballads

are songs or songlike poems that tell stories in simple, rhythmic language.

Ballads usually include • sensational or tragic subject matter • omitted details • supernatural events • a

refrain

lines —a repeated word, line, or group of

Lord Randall

Literary Focus: Ballad

Ballad singers often used certain conventions:

• incremental repetition to build suspense —repeating a phrase or sentence, adding a new element each time, “O where hae ye been, Lord Randall, my son?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randall, my son?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“What gat ye to your dinner, Lord Randall, my son?”

Lord Randall

Literary Focus: Ballad

Ballad singers often used certain conventions:

• question-and-answer format —a series of questions whose answers reveal facts of the story little by little; used to build suspense “O where hae ye been, Lord Randall, my son?

O where hae ye been, my handsome young man?” “I hae been to the wild wood; mother, make my bed soon, For I’m weary wi’ hunting and fain wald lie down.”

Lord Randall

Literary Focus: Ballad

Ballad singers often used certain conventions:

• conventional phrases by listeners to have a meaning beyond the literal one — word groups understood • a strong, simple beat • relatively uncomplicated

verse forms

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Lord Randall

Reading Focus: Understanding Purpose Although the author of “Lord Randall” is unknown, we can determine the author’s purpose from details in the text, such as • dialogue • images • repetition In “Lord Randall,” the mother repeats several phrases in each stanza. That repetition indicates that she loves her boy and is upset by his behavior.

We can guess that the ballad’s purpose is to share a tragic event with listeners.

Lord Randall

Reading Focus: Understanding Purpose

Into Action:

As you read, note details that help you determine the purposes of the ballads. Use a chart like the one below to record your findings.

Details: Purpose: Lord Randall Get Up and Bar the Door mother’s pleading tone to move to sadness

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