The Effects of War on Men and Women
The last section will examine the effects of war on survivors and on the living. Peter Lafarge's "Ballad of Ira Hayes" tells the story of a young Indian man returning from war. Ira Hayes is one of the men in the famous photograph of the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima. His personal saga along with the song will allow the students to put a face and a condition to the ballad. The issue of minorities in war will also be explored.
Information about the story of Ira Hayes is collected at several websites. My favorite one is http://www.fortunecity.com. The photograph is another opportunity for students to free write. The ballad is performed by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash and written by Peter Lafarge. There are photos of Ira Hayes and the other men in the picture along with Ira Hayes' story. Putting a face and a name to a war veteran always does a person good, and many students prefer nonfiction material. James Bradley, the son of one of the men in the famous photograph, along with Ron Powers wrote Flags of Our Fathers. The book is a gripping account of the lives of the six men who raised the flag.
Further, the role of photojournalist and journalist can be explored. Because I want my students to be aware of current events, this will also give us an opportunity to chat about the role of the press. The journalists in Iraq provide a good connection to this part of the unit. In 2003, thirteen journalists died from hostile action. In 2004, 23 had been killed. These numbers do not include people who died from car accidents or for health-related reasons (Allbritton 9). Joe Rosenthal took the famous photograph. It has been used on two different postage stamps that can also be seen at this site, along with actual newsreel coverage. Once we have looked at the photo and written about the four men we will read the ballad. I will count the students off by threes, and continue until everyone has a number. The ones will read the ballad, focusing only on the Pima Indian's role; the twos on the white man's role, and the threes on Ira. They will gather details as they read about their character. Reading for a purpose helps students concentrate. When they have finished they will write a one sentence summary (main idea). Next, they will read a nonfiction article about Ira Hayes. This time they will highlight or underline information connected to their focus. When they have finished they will take the information from the ballad and information from the article and write a poem. The poem has to be from their character's perspective. Who killed Ira Hayes? As students write their poem I will play the song. Students can share their poems if they like at the end of class.
As a review of the ballad form we will examine the elements of a ballad. We will listen to the other version of the ballad and complete a graphic organizer that relates to the elements of a ballad. We could also read a few of the student written poems.
Ballads began as an oral tradition. The simple definition of ballad is "a fairly narrative poem written in a songlike stanza form" (Perrine& Arp 317). Robert Penn Warren defines ballad as "a song that tells a story "(552). A ballad has several elements:
- Tells a story
- Focuses on action and/or dialogue
- Traditionally quatrains of alternating tetrameter and trimeter lines
- Is sung in a modal melody
- Uses repetition and refrain
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