Excerpt from my father was a farmer
robert burns

my father was a farmer upon the carrick border, o,
and carefully he bred me in decency and order, o;
he bade me act a manly part, though i had never a farthing, o;
for without an honest manly heart, no man was worth regarding, o.

then out into the world my course i did determine, o;
tho’ to be rich was not my wish, yet to be great was charming, o:
my talents they were not the worst, nor yet my education, o;
resolved was i, at least to try, to mend my situation, o.

in many a way, and vain essay, i courted fortune’s favour, o;
some cause unseen still stept between to frustrate each endeavour, o:
sometimes by foes i was overpowered, sometimes by friends forsaken, o,
and when my hope was at the top, i still was worst mistaken, o.

one characteristic that makes this a ballad is
a) the author teaches a lesson in the poem.
b) the author follows a specific formula of meter.
c) the author speaks directly to readers in the poem.
d) the author talks about a specific place in the poem.