Final answer:
A ballad is a narrative poem or song that tells a story, and is often written in quatrains with an ABCB rhyme scheme. An example of a ballad is "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This definition excludes other forms of poetry like lyrical poems, sonnets, or humorous poems which do not fit the narrative and structural characteristics of ballads.
Step-by-step explanation:
A ballad is a type of narrative poem or song that tells a story, often of a tragic or romantic nature, and is passed down from generation to generation. Traditionally, ballads were part of an oral storytelling tradition before the advent of written language. The term ballad originates from the Latin word ballare, which means “to dance,” hinting at the rhythmic quality of ballads, which were often performed with musical accompaniment.
When it comes to the structure, a ballad is most commonly written in quatrains, that is, stanzas of four lines, with a rhyme scheme of ABCB, where the second and fourth lines rhyme. Typically, the first and third lines of a ballad contain eight syllables and the second and fourth lines contain six syllables, known as iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, respectively. This distinctive rhythm and structure help to emphasize the storytelling aspect of the ballad.
An example of a ballad in literary materials is "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It follows an elderly sailor's haunting tale of his sea voyage and the consequences of his actions. It exemplifies the ballad tradition through its rhythmic stanzas, narrative form, and repeated refrain.
It's also necessary to clarify what a ballad is not. A ballad is not simply a lyrical poem about personal emotions, like T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Nor is it a type of Shakespearean sonnet, such as "Sonnet 18," or a short, humorous poem like Shelley's "Ozymandias."
In conclusion, the correct definition of a ballad for the student's material, according to the options provided, is (a) A ballad is a narrative poem or song that tells a story, such as "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."