tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246797287811539521.post623918171863482066..comments2022-04-07T10:37:46.850-05:00Comments on English 208b: The Impossible, Perverse and Strange: Southey: The Serious vs. The SongDahlia Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09174548009168267294noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246797287811539521.post-3271468142868213872010-02-23T09:02:24.567-06:002010-02-23T09:02:24.567-06:00To add to Alec's comment, ballad meter is very...To add to Alec's comment, ballad meter is very flexible, and can encompass many styles. For example, ballad meter is often used in hymns, and thus performed at a much slower tempo. Think about what it means to sing Southey's poem to the tune of Gilligan's Island versus what it feels like when it is set to "Amazing Grace."Dahlia Porterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174548009168267294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8246797287811539521.post-31615172032199226792010-02-23T02:12:44.525-06:002010-02-23T02:12:44.525-06:00I think part of it has to do with the style simply...I think part of it has to do with the style simply being one of the more common at the time Southey was writing. Also, though, recall the history of other such ballads; last week's poems are perfect examples. Not to mention fairy-tales were all had very dark, underlying currents in them for the longest time. A lighter layer upon a harsher image is really a classic way of showing the true horrors or injustice of a situation without directly putting anyone off.AlecJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10106527475247029309noreply@blogger.com