Ballads Case Essay Example for Free

Ballads Case Essay Ballads are poems that tell a story. These ballads are distinguished by such features as few characters, dramatic plots, and may include dialogue, as well as action because it tells a story. They are considered to be a form of narrative poetry. They are often used in songs and have a very musical quality to them. According to the dictionary, Ballad is a narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain. It is the music for such a poem. It is also defined as a popular song especially of a romantic or sentimental nature. Here is an example: (Ballad of a Mother’s Heart) Origin There have been many theories about the originators of the ballads all of which have some validity when applied to the different types of ballad, the main ones are as follows:  · Minstrels: A minstrel is a musician or a poet. Originally, the minstrels were paid entertainers who worked for the Court and influential personages. They wrote songs about current events and historical victories of their patron and they included rewritings of old songs, legends and ballads in their theatre. The theory that the minstrels were the originators of the ballads was held for quite a long time. They are certainly a factor in the spreading of the ballads into the community; ballads were a stock item in the theatre of the minstrels even when their status had declined to that of street singers.  · Dance: Certainly some of the ballads were tied to dances. The word ballad probably comes from medieval French dance songs or ballet (â€Å"ballares† dance).  · Ceremonial dance and songs. Some ballad refrains contain ceremonial chants and responses  · Monks: The monks were the amongst the few who could read and write in the early times of the ballad history and that it follows that they must have had a hand in the composition and writing of the ballads.  · Communal composition: It has been suggested that ballads may have developed as a communal effort; particularly those that contain refrains and rhythms that are connected with work such as weaving and spinning. Example is the walking songs of the Hebrides.  · Cante-fable. This is a story, which is classified with verses that are sung or chanted. Some ballads are distinctively English or Scottish in origin but the older ballads are more likely to have a European source as their beginnings, deriving from earlier poems and old folk tales brought into Britain by its many invaders, immigrants and soldiers returning from foreign wars. Composition Scholars of ballads are often divided into two: The ‘communalists’ who argue that ballads arose by a combined communal effort and did not have a single author. They tend to lead to the view that more recent, particularly printed broadside ballads are a debased form of the genre. The ‘individualists’ who assert that there was a single original author. They tended to lead to the view that later changes in the words of ballads are corruptions of an original text. More recently scholars have pointed to the interchange of oral and written forms of the ballad. Classification European Ballads have been generally classified into three major groups: traditional, broadside and literary. * Traditional ballads Traditional folk ballads exhibit certain characteristics which help to identify them as being genuine in origin. Traditional ballads or folk ballads were universal songs meant to be understood by everyone, so writers would choose words that even the uneducated might understand. Traditional ballads follow a standard format and tell lengthy stories that call on imagery. * Broadsides Broadside ballads are descriptive or narrative verses or songs sung or recited in public places or printed on broadsides for sale in the streets. It is commonly in a simple ballad form. Broadside ballads appeared shortly after the invention of printing in the 15th century and were hawked in streets, fairs, and marketplaces of Europe into the 19th century. Among the topics were love, religion, drinking-songs, legends, and early journalism, which included disasters, political events and signs, wonders and prodigies. * Literary ballads A literary ballad (also known as art ballad) is a narrative poem written in imitation of the old anonymous folk ballad; the author is most often a known professional poet. Usually the literary ballad is more elaborate and complex. Literary ballads were quite popular in England during the 19th cent. The literary ballad, unlike the traditional ballad and the broadside ballad, is a sophisticated rather than a popular form. Importance of Ballads Ballads are important to look at because they show how the form has developed over time. A ballad is not simply a romantic song, although that definition will still apply in the field of music. Romance can be infused into ballads, especially if they are a narrative tale of love (or hate) as seen in the ballad by the anonymous Spanish poet. However, they are so much more as well. Anyone who knows the ballad knows how complex the story is in terms of theme, imagery, characters, symbolism, and many other literary devices and significations.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight & color Essay -- essays research paper

Though often extensive detail may be condemned as mere flowery language, in understanding Sir Gawain and the Green Knight one must make special emphasis on it. In color and imagery itself, the unknown author paints the very fibers of this work, allowing Sir Gawain to discern the nuances of ritualistic chivalry and truth. His quest after the Green Knight is as simple as ones quest toward himself. Through acute awareness of the physical world he encounters Gawain comes to an understanding of the world beyond chivalry, a connection to G-d, the source of truth. He learns, chivalry, like a machine, will always function properly, but in order to derive meaning from its product he must allow nature to affect him. At the onset of Sir Gawain and the Green Night the unknown author goes to great length physically describing the opulence of Christmastime in Arthur's court. For Camelot even Christmastide, a deeply religious holiday, is given significance based on its futile aesthetic veneer rather than inherent religious value. The dais is â€Å"well –decked† (Sir Gawain and the Green Night, 75), and â€Å"costly silk curtains† (76) canopy over Queen Guinevere. The Knights are described as â€Å"brave by din by day, dancing by night† (47 ), this is to say they are the paradigm of bravery and gentility. Both bravery and gentility are not indicative of the knights’ humanity, his feelings and thoughts, rather how appears and acts. Dissimilar to King Arthur’s opulent and boyish description, the Green Knight appears earthly, like an overgrown lumberjack in a debutante ball. His very entrance to the narrative aims to shatter Camelot’s superficial relationship with earthly trials. While Arthur seeks pleasure in hearing tales â€Å"of some fair feat† (92), the Green Knight undermines all formality known to be chivalrous challenging the king to a life risking game. With a â€Å"broad neck to buttocks† (137), (opposed to Arthur’s’ court depicted in the ever regal color red,) the Knight is clothed in green, the color of nature. He appears with no armor other then his faith, merely a utilitarian woodsman’s ax. While Green Knight is described like an animal who is said to have â€Å"wagged his beard† (306) yet understands the cyclical nature of life and truth of mans futility, it is only after Sir Gawain proclaims his lack of strength (though he says it at that poi nt as a matter of chivalry) that he is able to ... ...Gawain’s time in the wilderness, living nature, and his acceptance of the lady’s offering of the green girdle teach him that though he may be the most chivalrous knight in the land, he is nevertheless human and capable of error. Through jest of a game the Green knight enlightens Gawain the short sights of chivalry. He comes to realize within himself that the system which bore him values appearance over truth. Ultimately he understands that chivalry provides a valuable set of ideals toward which to strive, but a person must retain consciousness of his or her own mortality and weakness in order to live deeply. While it is chivalrous notions, which kept him, alive throughout the test of the Green Knight, only through acute awareness of the physical world surrounding him was he able to develop himself and understand the Knights message. From the onset of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the author relies intensely upon descriptive language to create ambiance and tonality, but it is only later in the work, upon Sir Gawain’s development, that like Gawain, the reader is able to derive meaning from the descriptive physicality and understand the symbiotic relationship of nature and society.

Nagel’s Negative Good vs Negative Evil

?Chapter 9 short writing assignmentShannon Prendergast Nagel explains negative good. as the absence of something bad and he describes a negative evil as the absence of something good. He is comparing these as they apply to death in this chapter. Assuming that death without anything is either good or bad to the person who dies. . He describes death as being either a negative evil or negative good. It can be described as a negative good because it can lack something bad. If someone is dying from a painful disease there death will result in the lack of the bad pain they were feeling. It can also be described as a negative evil because they will miss out on the great experiences of life (sun shining, flowers blooming, laughing. ) But for these to be true we must think we don’t exist after death. If we believe otherwise it could be these things don’t change for us. If you were a bad person you may continue to suffer, or maybe the sun and flowers are more beautiful after death if you were a good person. An example of a negative good in my life is the death of my brother-in-law. He suffered from depression (unknown to family) He was in a dark place and felt much turmoil and pain within. He committed suicide and this could be considered a negative good for him because his pain was ended. It can also be considered to be a negative evil because he will never see his children’s smile, hear there laughter or watch them grow. He was young and there was much life to live. I hope that there is existence after death and that people are at peace with there pain after death and can watch over there loved ones. Another example in life of a negative good is I had to leave a job I loved, but it happened to open the door for me to go back and finish my degree. The losing of the job was in turn not a bad thing because it produced something that otherwise would not have happened. There is also a negative evil in this situation and that is that I was unable to sign up for the class I wanted to take. It was not necessarily bad; it just lacked a something good. In wrapping up the difference between negative good and negative evil, I would like to believe that every negative has a positive and when a bad happens to us it is because a good is on its way. As far as death goes I believe we go on to a wonderful, place. whether it be as ourselves or not. After all did we ever not exist, or do we live forever just changing forms. Maybe are cells evolve into different thing and everyone lives forever somehow.

Effects of Home Work on Students Today Research Paper

Sociology research methods are very important as they allow sociologists to have a better understanding of sociological phenomena and to answer various questions regarding social issues. The ultimate aim of this paper is to explain how the topic ‘Effects of Home Work on Students Today’ can be investigated using sociology methods of research. A research method will be chosen and the research design will also be described in detail. The most suitable method for studying the question will be identified and explained. Possible weaknesses in the chosen method will be enumerated and explained. Key terminologies such as constructs and indicators, sample size and selection, ethical guidelines of special significance, measurements, data collection plan and any special challenges that conducting the research may present will be explained. The reliability and validity of the results will also be considered. First, it is important to note that sociological research is based on the use of empirical data to substantiate concepts, theories and test hypothesis (Sociology 1). Therefore, there is need to first develop some concept, theory or hypothesis to be tested (Sociology 1). In order to conduct some research on the above topic, it is imperative that a hypothesis be developed first. The hypothesis will be Doing homework increases the chances of a student getting higher grades. Here, the Dependent Variable (DV) is grades obtained by students while the Independent Variable (IV) is doing homework (McManus 34). Research Design Now that a hypothesis exists, the discussion will shift to the design of the research. First, a level of analysis has to be determined (McManus 35). The unit of analysis, which refers to some particular social entity about which information is collected and empirical claims made, will be individuals since the study focuses on the effect of homework on students today (Sociology 10). There are many methods of conducting research that can be utilized. However, the most suitable method that can be used to answer the question at hand is the use of surveys. A survey is a poll in which the researcher gathers facts or attempts to determine the relationships among facts (Kendall 32). Most sociologists utilize surveys in their research missions. In fact, surveys are the most widely used research method in the field of social sciences (Kendall 32). The reason for this is the fact that sociology usually involves studying phenomena that cannot be observed directly. For instance, sociological stud ies may involve unraveling peoples feelings and beliefs about certain things. Studying sociological phenomena may also call upon the researcher to study a very big and diverse population of people. It may not be possible to observe such kind of a population directly. Therefore, surveys may come in handy in such situations. This method involves selecting a group of people from the population being studied and asking them questions pertaining to the research question. The selected group of people is known as the sample while the people themselves are called respondents. The selection of the sample should be done carefully as the sample should be representative of the entire population being studied (McManus 40). Since the entire population of students, parents and teachers cannot be questioned in an endeavor to answer the research question, a sample that reflects the whole population should be chosen. The aim of the study is to establish the effects of home work on students today. Though not explicitly stated, the term student refers to all students in USA. This is a very big population and the sample has to be selected carefully. Further, it should be noted that there are different categories of students. There are those who attend public schools and those who attend private schools; there are those who live in poor neighborhoods and those who live in posh estates; there are those who are disabled and those who are a hundred percent physically and mentally fit; there are white students and students of other races. Since the research has to capture the situation in the entire country and the effect of homework on all these diverse categories of students, the selection of the sample is of paramount importance. The respondents will not only be students. Teachers will also be questioned as well as parents. The sample size for each category of respondents (students, parents and teachers) will be 2000. In other words, 2000 students, 2000 parents and 2000 teachers will be questioned. To decide how these respondents will be selected to meet the representation criteria discussed above, it is important to first decide on a method in which all or most Americans have an equal or known likelihood of being selected (â€Å"How are Polls† 2). The most convenient method that will achieve this objective is the use of landlines and mobile phones. Almost every American owns at least one cellular phone. A computer program that utilizes a routine called Random Digit Dialing (RDD) can then be used to select the sample (How are Polls 3). RDD first generates a list of all possible landline and mobile phone numbers in America and then selects a random sample of 2000 landline and mobile phones (How are polls 3). Each phone number can then be called and a request made to speak with a student, parent or teacher in the household. If several of these people (for instance, there may be two students in the home) exist in the household, the one who celebrated his or her birthday most recently is chosen. Measurements and data collection will simply be via questioning. A questionnaire with questions whose answers can be analyzed and help verify the hypothesis should be formulated. Here, it is important to understand concepts related to constructs and indicators (McManus 33). Evaluationspringboard.org explains: A construct is a concept that can be measured. Turning evaluation questions into answers requires that you first parse the question into measurable units or constructs. On the other hand, an indicator is a measure of success. (Constructs and Indicators 1) The questions directed at student respondents that can be included in the survey include: Do you believe doing your home work has improved your grades? Do you like doing your home work? Questions that can be directed to teachers and parents include: Have you ever noticed any remarkable improvement in your students grades whenever you give them (or they are given in the case of parents) adequate home work to do? Do you believe that doing homework improves the overall grades of students? The answers to these and other questions that can be formulated effectively form the data to be analyzed. However, it should be noted that this method poses various challenges and has several weaknesses. One of them is the fact that not all respondents that have been randomly selected will be willing to answer the questions. The random sample chosen cannot precisely reflect the opinions of all Americans. This is a weakness that is usually explained by giving reasonable margins of errors. Further, it is possible for the respondents to supply incorrect information either knowingly or unknowingly. This might lead to inaccurate results and conclusions. Other challenges may include sourcing funds to conduct the surveys since human resources (e.g. trained interviewers) have to be employed and phone calls cost money. Other expenses may accrue and this calls for adequate funds before conducting the survey. There are several ethical considerations that should be considered when undertaking the research. First, it is important to for the respondents to give their consent before they are interviewed (McManus 42). Further, they should be guaranteed that the information they supply is confidential and will not be released to other parties neither will it be used for any other purposes except those specified under the primary objectives of the research. The respondents should also be guaranteed of their privacy (McManus 45). It is also important to ensure that the interviewers remain neutral and independent during the entire process. The researchers should also take into consideration the various laws that exist and ensure that they follow them while implementing the survey. If the researchers follow the plan discussed in this paper, then the results are likely to be valid within minimal margins of error. Works Cited Constructs and Indicators. Evaluationspringboard.org. 2006. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. http://www.evaluationspringboard.org/documents/Constructs%26IndicatorsFile.pdf. How are Polls Conducted? Gallup. 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. http://www.gallup.com/poll/File/125927/How%20Are%20Polls%20Conducted%20FINAL.pdf. Kendall, Diana. Sociology in our times: The essentials. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Sociology: Sociological Research Methods. Sparknotes.com. 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/gensci/sociology/section12.php. McManus, Stephen. Research in Sociology. Sebastopol: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, 2003. Print.