UECE – Universidade Estadual do Ceará

CH – Centro de Humanidades
Literatura em Língua Inglesa: Poesia
Professora Conceição
Fernando de Carvalho Parente Junior.

Essay on Johnny Armstrong

This essay intends to analyze the poem Johnny Armstrong regarding the conventions
and techniques used in kind of text. Johnny Armstrong is considered a folk ballad, this
means that this poem was originally meant for singing (in this case, in a Scottish
dialect) and was passed mouth by mouth through many generations over the time. Here,
some of a folk ballad's features are presented and discussed.

1. Dramatization of the action by omitting unnecessary details. The setting is giving

very briefly in the four lines of the first stanza and the hero is described by his great
power and influence in spite of his few possessions.

There dwelt a man in fair Westmorland

Johnny Armstrong men did him call
He had neither lands nor rents coming in
Yet he kept eight score men in his hall

2. Drama is heightened by dialogs. Although the poem is short and there is not much
space for dialogs, the existing ones are really significant and full of an emotional
appealing. As this poem was meant to be sung, these parts could be sung in different
intonations in order to give the lines more dramaticity.

When Johnny came before the king,

He fell down on his knee;
"O pardon, my sovereign liege”; he said,
"O pardon my eight score men and me!”

"Thou shall have no pardon, thou traitor strong,

For thy eight score men nor thee;
For tomorrow morning by ten of the clock,
Both thou and them shall hang on the gallows-tree"

3. Suspense is increased by the a-little-at-a-time given information. Each of the

verses gives out a piece of information that has to do with the main action, that is,
consequently, delayed down to the last line of the stanza producing a great amount of
expectation and a bigger impact of the climax.

But Johnny looked over his left shoulder,

Good Lord, what a grievous look looked he!
Saying, "Asking grace of a graceless face-
Why there is none for you nor me"
But Johnny had a bright sword by his side,
And it was made of the metal so free,
That had not the king stepped his foot aside,
He had smitten his head from his fair body.

4. The symbolic usage of their favorite colors. White means purity, high moral values
and honor;gold stands for glory, wealth and prosperity; red, or else scarlet, represents
life and blood; and black symbolizes soberness, darkness and death.

"And if we go the king before,

I would we went most orderly;
Every man of you shall have his scarlet cloak,
Laced with silver laces three.

"Every one of you shall have his velvet coat,

Laced with silver lace so white;
O the golden bands an about your necks,
Black hats, white feathers, all alike"'

5. Structure. Folk ballads were sung and hence, they possessed a patterned stress-timed
rhythm. Besides, there were a great amount of stock phrases in order to facilitate the
memorization of those verses. In most of the cases, a folk ballad has the following
scheme for its stanzas:

A – four strong stressed syllables

B – three strong stressed syllables
C – four strong stressed syllables
B – three strong stressed syllables

News then was brought to young Johnny Armstrong,

As he stood by his nurse's knee,
Who vowed if e'er he lived for to be a man,
On the treacherous Scots revenged he'd be.

Johnny Armstrong is a rich folk ballad sung over the centuries to recall us of the time
when great battles were held and courageous warrior's blood was spilled for honor,
power and pride. And just like a sonnet that is composed to fit inside that mold, Johnny
Armstrong answers the folk ballad's demands to be called so.