This article looks at a ballad, 'Bars Fight,' by 18th century African-American writer Lucy Terry. It considers the literary qualities of a ballad, and its historical role in society. It then goes on to consider why a Black slave might want to compose a ballad. The article aims to encourage students to think about the different roles which poetry has played throughout history. Extracts from this article can usefully be used to initiate a classroom discussion. Students can also seek to use the opinions in the essay to justify their own ideas in discussion. Printed copies of the article can be cut up and re-ordered to work on essay planning skills. The article could also be given to students without an opening and a closing paragraph, and students asked to write their own.