You may already know the term ballad in relation to music.  A ballad in music is a slow song that conveys a lot of emotion.  The musical term ballad comes from the poetic form ballad, a poem that tells a story.

Typical features of a ballad:

• a poem that tells a story
• an event-driven poem
• typically written using stanzas of four lines, with a rhyme scheme of abab or abcb
• may feature dialogue as well as narration
• may have a conversational style
• may focus on lost love, tragic events, or the supernatural

Today’s class goal: to explore the similarities and differences between Anonymous’s “My Boy Willie” and Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool.”