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“Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing things historians usually record, while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, and write poetry... The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks for the river.”
—Will Durant
, The Story of Civilization
Introduction: Much of what we study in history is what is considered “traditional” history; that is, it is the history of major political figures, important historical events, and significant historical trends. Now it’s your turn to help create the history that occurs on the banks of the river—the story of everyday people, the story of immigrants.
Oral histories are created when one person (the interviewer) interviews another person
(the interviewee) about a specific time period in the interviewee’s life or a specific topic they can recall. The interviewer takes the interviewee’s responses and creates a text of the interviewee’s words told through the point of view of the interviewee. This is not an exact transcript of what the interviewee says. The interviewer must edit the transcript— moving parts around, taking parts out, and even adding words here and there (with the interviewee’s permission). The final piece of writing should capture the voice and spirit of the interviewee.
• Text must be 750-1000 words
• An introduction is included
• Your introduction should show some knowledge/understanding of the person’s place of origin (country/state).
• The person may be first or second generation
• Select a person you wish to interview.
• Obtain their permission.
• Set up an interview time and location; set aside an hour or so.
• Do some research on the place of their origin (country, state, city, etc.).
• Create questions to guide your interview.
• If possible, record the interview; take notes on interviewee’s mannerisms, etc.
1.
Transcribe the interview into Q/A format, word for word.
2.
Edit the Q/A into the final oral history.
3.
Write a ballad based on your final oral history.

• What country/state are you originally from?
• Why did you leave this country/state?
• When did you leave? How old were you at that time?
• What were the conditions in the country/state when you left?
• How did you prepare for your trip here?
• Who came with you when you emigrated? Who did you leave behind? What did you leave behind?
• How did you get here? Did you stay somewhere else before arriving here?
• Why did you choose the United States/CA? Why not some other country/state?
• Who decided you would come here? Did you want to leave?
• How did others in your home country/state treat you when they knew you were leaving?
• What changes in lifestyle did you make when you came here?
• What was your first impression of the United States/CA? Has this initial impression changed over time?
• What are some of the differences/similarities you’ve noticed in the cultures here and in your home country/state?
• What were your hopes for yourself (and/or your family) when you came here? Have you realized these hopes?
• How were you treated when you first arrived in the United States/state? How are you treated now?
• Were your expectations of America/CA met? Was your idea of America/CA the same as the reality?
Q: So you really weren’t that excited to be coming here?
A: Well, no, not really. I mean, think about it. Would you be? I mean, you live in one place your whole life and then suddenly your parents tell you, “Look, we’ve decided it’s best for all of us to move to America. Your father has a better job and we’ll be much happier there.”
Q: Why didn’t you want to come here?
A: Well, all of my friends were in Taipei. They were all that mattered to me. I mean you spend most of your younger years in school, so it only makes sense that you’d miss your friends when you have to move away so far. Uh, I guess I might’ve been somewhat selfish. I mean my father did get a better job when he got here, but for the rest of us in my family it really was difficult. I think I was 12 at the time . . . yeah, 12. I started in middle school here, yeah, and it was a pretty awful experience. It’s not like middle school is normally a great time in your life anyway, is it? But coming here at that time and not knowing English all that well, well that certainly didn’t make it any easier for me. I was lonely here.

Q: Why were you lonely?
A. Uh, it took me a long time to get to know people. In my school I really didn’t know anyone else who was from Taiwan. Most everyone else had either grown up here or they were from Mexico, yeah mostly they spoke Spanish or English. But no one spoke
Cantonese—that was the only language I knew then.
No, I wasn’t all that excited to be coming here. I mean, think about it. Would you be? I mean, you live in one place your whole life and then suddenly your parents tell you,
“Look, we’ve decided it’s best for all of us to move to America. Your father has a better job and we’ll be much happier there.” At that time, all of my friends were in Taipei. They were all that mattered to me. You spend most of your younger years in school, so it only makes sense that you’d miss your friends when you have to move away so far. I guess I might’ve been somewhat selfish. My father did get a better job when he got here, but for the rest of us in my family it really was difficult.
I think I was 12 at the time . . . yeah, 12. I started in middle school here and it was a pretty awful experience. It’s not like middle school is normally a great time in your life anyway, is it? But coming here at that time and not knowing English all that well certainly didn’t make it any easier for me. I was lonely here. It took me a long time to get to know people. In my school I really didn’t know anyone else who was from Taiwan.
Most everyone else had either grown up here or they were from Mexico, and mostly they spoke Spanish or English. But no one spoke Cantonese—that was the only language I knew then.
Ballad Poems are a poem that tell a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain. A ballad is often about love and often sung. A ballad is a story in poetic form.
Ballad Writing Tips
 often have verses of four lines
 usually have a rhyming pattern: either abac or aabb or acbc (usually the easiest to rhyme)
 repetition often found in ballads
 entire stanzas can be repeated like a song's chorus
 lines can be repeated but each time a certain word is changed
 a question and answer format can be built into a ballad: one stanza asks a questions and the next stanza answers the question

Ballads contain a lot of dialogue.

Action is often described in the first person

Two characters in the ballad can speak to each other on alternating lines

Sequences of "threes" often occur: three kisses, three tasks, three events, for example

Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin
My child arrived just the other day,
He came to the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.
He learned to walk while I was away.
And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,
He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.
You know I'm gonna be like you."
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, dad?"
"I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."
My son turned ten just the other day.
He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.
Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,
I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok."
And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed,
Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.
You know I'm gonna be like him."
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, dad?"
"I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."
Well, he came from college just the other day,
So much like a man I just had to say,
"Son, I'm proud of you.
Can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head, and he said with a smile,
"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.
See you later. Can I have them please?"
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, son?"
"I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad.
You know we'll have a good time then."
I've long since retired and my son's moved away.
I called him up just the other day.
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."
He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.
You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,
But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.
It's been sure nice talking to you."
And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad.
You know we'll have a good time then."