Ballad Journal Entry
Directions:
Stephanie Kuehnert’s book, Ballads of Suburbia, is a powerful text about youth, loss, and love. One of the characters, Adrian, has a particularly sad ballad. The song he chooses, “Bastards of Young” by The Replacements, is about young people who were left to fend for themselves.
For this assignment you will answer the question: What’s Your Ballad?
According to the main character, Kara:
“A true ballad tells the story about real life…A lot of ballads are about the mistakes we inevitably make while trying to figure out how to live our lives.”
Assignment:
**Make certain the song/lyrics are appropriate for school!**
**Remember, a ballad does not have to be sad or slow. Instead, it is about real life, real people, and the attempt to repair mistakes from the past.
CLICK HERE FOR GRADING RUBRIC
Example:
My ballad would be "Seize the Day" by Avenged Sevenfold. It's a song about taking life by the horns and running with it. I finally learned the lesson that I only live one life. If I want to do something, I do it. When I write my ballad, I would discuss how the song reflects my life and tell the stories of seizing the opportunities as I come to them: flirting with a guy in a jacket at a concert in 100 degree heat (my first love), going to college in Massachusetts (my first real time away from home), deciding to become a teacher (because someone told me I'd be amazing at it), flirting (again) with a man who I thought I'd never see again, and applying to schools in the West to pursue my doctorate (because if I didn't do it now, I may not ever do it).
Stephanie Kuehnert’s book, Ballads of Suburbia, is a powerful text about youth, loss, and love. One of the characters, Adrian, has a particularly sad ballad. The song he chooses, “Bastards of Young” by The Replacements, is about young people who were left to fend for themselves.
For this assignment you will answer the question: What’s Your Ballad?
According to the main character, Kara:
“A true ballad tells the story about real life…A lot of ballads are about the mistakes we inevitably make while trying to figure out how to live our lives.”
Assignment:
- Pick one song that you feel is your ballad. Use the theme of the song to tell your ballad. This must be 2 pages in length.
- This song can also reflect who you are, where you are going, how you feel about the world around you, etc.
**Make certain the song/lyrics are appropriate for school!**
**Remember, a ballad does not have to be sad or slow. Instead, it is about real life, real people, and the attempt to repair mistakes from the past.
CLICK HERE FOR GRADING RUBRIC
Example:
My ballad would be "Seize the Day" by Avenged Sevenfold. It's a song about taking life by the horns and running with it. I finally learned the lesson that I only live one life. If I want to do something, I do it. When I write my ballad, I would discuss how the song reflects my life and tell the stories of seizing the opportunities as I come to them: flirting with a guy in a jacket at a concert in 100 degree heat (my first love), going to college in Massachusetts (my first real time away from home), deciding to become a teacher (because someone told me I'd be amazing at it), flirting (again) with a man who I thought I'd never see again, and applying to schools in the West to pursue my doctorate (because if I didn't do it now, I may not ever do it).