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In this strange nursery rhyme, the man apparently was careless in going to bed and didn’t wake up. This sixteenth century rhyme is a reminder to children to always say their prayers. While Mother Goose seems like a kind, grandmotherly sort, the gander in this rhyme appears to be quite a bastard. Silver bells and cockle shells were instruments of torture and the maiden was a device used to behead people. The garden refers to growing cemeteries, as she filled them with Protestants. This rhyme is a reference to Bloody Mary.
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It has often been used to illustrate the chain of events that can stem from a single thoughtless action. This simple rhyme is a reminder for children to think of the possible consequences of their actions. For Want of a Nailįor want of a battle the kingdom was lost The rhyme is also thought to be a political satire of the export tax imposed in Britain in 1275 under the rule of King Edward I. Baa Baa BlacksheepĪnd one for the little boy who lives down the laneīaa Baa Black Sheep references the importance of the wool industry to the economy from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century.
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It was believed that the disease was carried by bad smells, so people frequently carried pockets full of fresh herbs, or “posies.” The “ashes, ashes” line is believed to refer to the cremation of the bodies of those who died from the plague. The symptoms of bubonic plague included a rosy red ring-shaped rash, which inspired the first line. This rhyme dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665. There was no fixing the cannon or the tower, and the Humpty Dumpty rhyme was born. During the Siege of Colchester, The tower was hit by enemy cannon fire and Humpty suffered a great fall. Humpty was a huge cannon mounted atop a high wall-like church tower. However, the real story behind the rhyme dates back to the English Civil War. It’s a sad story, as he gets busted up and nobody can fix him. In children’s books, Humpty Dumpty is portrayed as a large egg, usually dressed like a little boy. Humpty DumptyĪll the King’s Horses and all the King’s men A handful do not reference historical events at all, but instead seem to convey warnings or common sense wisdom. It’s only when you stop and absorb the actual words of these catchy, sing-song rhymes that the darkness and absurdity is realized. They have been so ingrained in us since childhood that we hardly notice that babies are falling from trees, women are held captive or live animals are being cooked. Other nursery rhymes don’t seem to carry a particular message at all, but convey a macabre sense of humor.
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Under the guise of children’s entertainment, many rhymes that were encoded with secret messages throughout history have endured the test of time and are still with us today. The “Adam and Eve” rhyme made peasants realize that they were important to the economy and contributed to the Peasants Revolt of 1381. While the Bubonic Plaque ravaged England, peasants used a rhyme to spread the word about equality. The first nursery rhymes can be traced back to the fourteenth century. In order to communicate at will, clever rhymes were constructed and passed around to parody public figures and events. Gossiping, criticizing the government or even talking about current events were often punishable by death. In more repressed times, people were not always allowed to express themselves freely, for fear of persecution.
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