What is a Ballad? (Lesson plan by the amazing Melissa Smilgys)
Before you get started, think about these questions:
Read the song that Adrian chose for his ballad. Think about the question at the end.
"Bastards of Young" by The Replacements
God, what a mess
On the ladder of success
Where you take one step and miss the whole first rung
Dreams unfulfilled, graduate unskilled
It beats pickin' cotton and waitin' to be forgotten
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
The daughters and the sons
Clean your baby womb, trash that baby boom
Elvis in the ground, they’re waiting on beer tonight
Income tax deduction, what a hell of a function
It beats pickin' cotton and waitin' to be forgotten
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
Not the daughters and the sons
Unwillingness to claim us
Ya got no word to name us
The ones who love us best
Are the ones we'll lay to rest
And visit their graves on holidays at best
The ones who love us least
Are the ones we'll die to please
If it's any consolation, I don't begin to understand them
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
The daughters and the sons
Young
Young
Take it
It's yours
Question: What mistakes were made here? How do the characters in the song feel? Why would this song be considered a ballad?
Now, Re-read Adrian's ballad (p. 127-135).Think about and answer the following to understand how he wrote his ballad.
“The Ballad of a Throwaway: Adrian Matthews”
“We are the sons of no one, bastards of young” ~The Replacements
1) What does Adrian’s tattoos say?
2) He gives five reasons why he got the tattoos, what are they?
3) What happens to Adrian after he told his parents that he dropped out of school?
4) What does Adrian go to find in New Orleans? What does he discover?
5) What nickname does Adrian give to his birth mother? Why?
6) What was the name of Adrian’s birth father?
7) What does the man who gives Adrian the tattoo say about people that get tattoos before they are 18?
8) What does Adrian say the only good thing about coming from no one is?
9) Why do you think Adrian chose “The Bastards of Young” as his ballad?
CLICK FOR THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT.
- What is the formal definition of a ballad?
- What do you think a ballad is? Can you think of an example?
- What is Kara’s definition of a ballad?
Read the song that Adrian chose for his ballad. Think about the question at the end.
"Bastards of Young" by The Replacements
God, what a mess
On the ladder of success
Where you take one step and miss the whole first rung
Dreams unfulfilled, graduate unskilled
It beats pickin' cotton and waitin' to be forgotten
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
The daughters and the sons
Clean your baby womb, trash that baby boom
Elvis in the ground, they’re waiting on beer tonight
Income tax deduction, what a hell of a function
It beats pickin' cotton and waitin' to be forgotten
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
Not the daughters and the sons
Unwillingness to claim us
Ya got no word to name us
The ones who love us best
Are the ones we'll lay to rest
And visit their graves on holidays at best
The ones who love us least
Are the ones we'll die to please
If it's any consolation, I don't begin to understand them
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
We are the sons of no one, bastards of young
The daughters and the sons
Young
Young
Take it
It's yours
Question: What mistakes were made here? How do the characters in the song feel? Why would this song be considered a ballad?
Now, Re-read Adrian's ballad (p. 127-135).Think about and answer the following to understand how he wrote his ballad.
“The Ballad of a Throwaway: Adrian Matthews”
“We are the sons of no one, bastards of young” ~The Replacements
1) What does Adrian’s tattoos say?
2) He gives five reasons why he got the tattoos, what are they?
3) What happens to Adrian after he told his parents that he dropped out of school?
4) What does Adrian go to find in New Orleans? What does he discover?
5) What nickname does Adrian give to his birth mother? Why?
6) What was the name of Adrian’s birth father?
7) What does the man who gives Adrian the tattoo say about people that get tattoos before they are 18?
8) What does Adrian say the only good thing about coming from no one is?
9) Why do you think Adrian chose “The Bastards of Young” as his ballad?
CLICK FOR THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT.