Terrifying, Thoughtful, and Absurd Rhymes for Children In more
repressed times, people were not always allowed to express
themselves freely, for fear of persecution. Gossiping, criticizing
the government or even talking about current events was often
punishable by death. In order to communicate at will, clever rhymes
were constructed and passed around to parody public figures and
events. The first nursery rhymes can be traced back to the
fourteenth century. Under the guise of childrens entertainment,
many rhymes that were encoded with secret messages throughout
history have endured the test of time and are still with us
today.
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Why were rhymes with historical meaning created? To remember
history... Not everyone could read and write. This was their way to
remember history, Or to teach their children. The best way to
remember is a rhyme.
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Terrifying, Thoughtful, and Absurd Rhymes for Children Other
nursery rhymes dont seem to carry a particular message at all, but
convey a gruesome sense of humor. 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. It
is only when you stop and absorb the actual words of these catchy,
sing-song rhymes that the darkness and absurdity is realized. A
handful do not reference historical events at all, but instead seem
to convey warnings or common sense wisdom.
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Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty was a powerful cannon used in
during the English Civil War. It was mounted on top of the St Marys
at the Wall Church in Colchester defending the city, but the wall
crumbled under fire and the greatly feared weapon broke. The kings
men (people loyal to the crown) lost the battle due to the loss of
the cannon.
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Did You Know? Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden
grow? With silver bells and cockle shells And pretty maids all in a
row. This is a protestant condemnation Bloody Mary (Queen Mary I).
Protestants could not speak openly against the Queen without
retribution so they spoke in more or less a code of wit.
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Mary, Mary... Mary, Mary, quite contrary, Mary is a
disagreeable Catholic tyrant. How does your garden grow? The garden
referred to is filled with the graves of protestant
martyrs/opponents of the Queen and the growing number of such
victims under her oppressive rule. With silver bells and cockle
shells Instruments of torture such as thumbscrews And pretty maids
all in a row. Instruments like the guillotine known as maids to
behead enemies
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Ring around the Rosie Ring around the rosy A pocketful of
posies "Ashes, Ashes" We all fall down!
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Ring around the Rosie Linked to the Bubonic Plague A ring of
rose colored rings appeared on the skin. People kept posies with
them because they thought the plague was spread by bad smells.
Ashes, Ashes, We all fall down is from burning the bodies after the
people died.
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Georgie Porgie It refers to the courier George Villiers, the
first Duke of Buckingham. (1600s) Villiers had good looks that
appealed to the ladies. Villier was good friends with the king.
This offered him some protection, but he had to look out for
jealous husbands who would come after him and make him run
away.
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Not all nursery rhymes have historical meanings.
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Some are used to teach.
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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe! One two buckle my shoe Three, four,
knock at the door Five, six, pick up sticks Seven, eight, lay them
straight Nine, ten, a big fat hen Eleven, twelve, dig and delve
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a- courting Fifteen, sixteen, maids in
the kitchen Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting Nineteen, twenty,
my plate's empty
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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe! Used to help children count Made it
fun to learn Easy to remember
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Some nursery rhymes are just fun But most are to help teach,
remember history, or even to make fun of royalty.
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The Hidden Meaning Behind Nursery Rhymes
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Your turn! Create a nursery rhyme to teach about one of the
Crusades. Type it Include clip art (find this LAST!) Share with me
Include at least 4 historically accurate events Must be clear
enough to understand Must have rhythm, rhyme, and child appealing
characters Show effort and pride
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20181510 The rhyme must allude to the events of the Crusades. 4
items are listed and are historically correct. They are also clear
enough to interpret. 4 items are listed and are historically
correct. They may be unclear and require explanation to interpret.
4 items are listed (with some historical confusion) OR they are
very unclear and dont make sense. Less than 4 items are listed,
they are inaccurate OR are unclear. The work needs to have rhythm,
rhyme and child-appealing characters. They rhythm, rhyme and
characters work well to help make it memorable and fun. They
rhythm, rhyme and characters are all present. 1 of the 3 is missing
or doesnt work well in the writing. 2 of the 3 is missing or doesnt
work well in the writing. The presentation of the work needs to
show effort and pride. A serious attitude was taken towards this
assignment and students worked diligently to complete the
assignment. A willing attitude was taken towards this assignment
and students worked consistently to complete the assignment.
Students showed lack of engagement in the process and displayed
poor focus and attention. Students showed lack of engagement in the
process and were uncooperative and distracting.