Dolly Parton's America - E1 "Sad Songs" Quiz

What is a podcast?

• 1. A movie that you listen to for entertainment 

• 1. An audio production that you listen to for entertainment, information, or persuasion   

• A selection of songs that you listen to with commentary for entertainment

• 1. An interview that you listen to for information 

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JAD: What is Dolly Parton’s America?

DOLLY PARTON: Well, Dolly Parton’s America would be the same as Dolly Parton’s world.

JAD: Hey, I’m Jad Abumrad. Let me explain how I got here to a podcast about Dolly Parton. I grew up in Tennessee, which means I grew up in ...

 DOLLY PARTON: Dolly Parton’s world.

JAD: Dolly’s world. She was everywhere. She was looking down at you from billboards, coming out of car radios. She was on commercials. She just infused the air. So as a consequence, I didn’t really think about her a lot…. But then, a few things happened. 2016. I’m living in New York. Dolly is on tour. And she comes and does a stadium show here in Flushing, Queens. And just the level of excitement of people around me was, like, other-worldly. Everybody around me was like ...

PAMELA FOSTER: Dolly Parton is a goddess. SUSAN HARLAN: She’s a saint. FAN: To me, Dolly is a superstar who brings herself to the level of the people. JAD: I was like, "Whoa, I -- I missed this."

1. Which TWO methods does Jad Abumrad use to hook the listener? 

• 1. Attention grabbers – A startling statement and an inspirational quote

• Attention grabbers- An inspirational quote and a rhetorical question

• 1. Attention grabbers – A rhetorical question and a personal story

• 1. Attention grabbers – A personal story and a startling statement 

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JAD: What is Dolly Parton’s America?

DOLLY PARTON: Well, Dolly Parton’s America would be the same as Dolly Parton’s world.

JAD: Hey, I’m Jad Abumrad. Let me explain how I got here to a podcast about Dolly Parton. I grew up in Tennessee, which means I grew up in ...

 DOLLY PARTON: Dolly Parton’s world.

JAD: Dolly’s world. She was everywhere. She was looking down at you from billboards, coming out of car radios. She was on commercials. She just infused the air. So as a consequence, I didn’t really think about her a lot…. But then, a few things happened. 2016. I’m living in New York. Dolly is on tour. And she comes and does a stadium show here in Flushing, Queens. And just the level of excitement of people around me was, like, other-worldly. Everybody around me was like ...

PAMELA FOSTER: Dolly Parton is a goddess. SUSAN HARLAN: She’s a saint. FAN: To me, Dolly is a superstar who brings herself to the level of the people. JAD: I was like, "Whoa, I -- I missed this."

The producer most likely chooses these two hooks to …

• 1. Introduce the question that will be explored throughout the podcast and how the narrator is connected to it 

• 1. Introduce Dolly Parton for those who don’t know who she is as well as the narrator 

• 1. Introduce Tennessee culture and explore how it collides with New York City culture

• 1. Introduce the diversity of Dolly Parton’s fans to show what an inspiration she is

1. Which TWO forms of evidence does Jad Abumrad use to prove Dolly is viewed as a unifier in episode 1?

• 1. Diverse fan testimonials and Dolly’s Global Q Score

• 1. Dolly’s Global Q Score and his dad’s first-hand account

• 1. Dolly’s net worth and Dolly’s Global Q Score 

• 1. Dolly’s word on the topic and diverse fan testimonials 

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1. Connections and networking in life often opens paths for careers. How did Jad use his connections to land this project? 

• 1. Jad started working with reporter Shima Oliaee who is a big Dolly fan. 

• 1. Jad’s career is in radio so he was able to make a connection to Dolly through the music industry. 

• 1. Jad asked his dad for a favor since his dad formed an unexpected friendship with Dolly after treating her when she was in a car crash. 

• 1. Jad went to a Dolly concert and one of Dolly’s fans gave him the idea for a podcast. 

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Early English and Scottish ballads are dramatic stories told in verse. Using the language of common people, these ballads were sung and passed on through generational singing. The ballad on the left is a folk song that dates back centuries. The ballad on the right is a song Dolly said was inspired by “All those old mountain songs and all those old songs from the old world. All those old English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh ballads…”

Like works of fiction, ballads have characters and settings. Most examples also include certain conventions such as tragic subject matter, a simple yet impactful plot, dialogue, and repetition.

(You may need to access the document linked in the description to be able to read the lyrics to each ballad pictured here because they are quite small.)

1. Question: The tragic subject matter in both of these ballads are similar in that… 

• 1. They both involve poisoning 

• 1. They both involve breakups 

• 1. They both involve the loss of child 

• 1. They both involve mother and son relationships 

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(You may need to access the document linked in the description to be able to read the lyrics to each ballad pictured here because they are quite small.)

Question: Both ballads use pacing techniques in the plotlines. These techniques include...

• A sense of time by describing the seasonal change

• A sense of urgency by repeating key lines

• A sense of rhythm by including musical rhymes

• A sense of suspense by leaving the ending unclear

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(You may need to access the document linked in the description to be able to read the lyrics to each ballad pictured here because they are quite small.)

Question: The ballads CONTRAST in a significant way in that… 

•  In “Lord Randall” the male figure has been hunting, but in “Down from Dover” the male figure has been fighting in a war.

• In “Lord Randall” the male figure is a liar, but in “Down from Dover” the male figure just wants to escape his responsibilities.

• In “Lord Randall” the mother figure is portrayed as worried and caring, but in “Down from Dover” the parents (of the pregnant girl) is portrayed as cold, skeptical, and cruel.

• In “Lord Randall” the mother figure is portrayed as a criminal, but in “Down from Dover” the mother figure (of the pregnant girl) is portrayed as caring.

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