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Nursery rhymes and oral traditions
Nursery rhymes and oral traditions
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The History of Nursery Ryhmes When you think of nursery rhymes, do you think of innocent, silly games you played as a child? Think again. Most of the nursery rhymes that have become so popular with the children were never intended for them. Most began as folk songs or ballads sung in taverns. These songs (rhymes) all most always were written to make fun of religious leaders or to gossip about kings and queens (Brittanica pars. 1-5). Nursery rhymes are being studied the past few decades as a way to help children learn their alphabet and numbers. These rhymes have been proven affective in helping children's language skills improve. As I began to explore different nursery rhymes, I found that they opened up and disclosed some of the secrets, light and dark of the persons, animals, or familiar places they were written about. The Encyclopedia Britannica define nursery rhymes as verses that are customarily told or sung to small children. The oral tradition of these rhymes are ancient some dating back as early as the 1500's, but most date form the 16th, 17th and most frequently the 18th centuries. ( Brittanica pars. 1-5). Nursery rhymes have been around for centuries, but the name has not. According to the World Book Encyclopedia the phrase "Nursery Rhymes" did not originate until 1824 in a Scottish periodical called Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine. Before this time, rhymes were referred to as "ditties" or songs. Many scholars believe that parts of these rhymes were taken from ballads, prayers, proverbs, street chants, or tavern songs. Some people believe that these rhymes may even have once been used for certain rituals or customs. Most were based on real people, places or things. These rhymes were mainly used to e... ... middle of paper ... .... 1998 . Lightfoot, Teresa. Home page. 28 Jan. 1999 . Maeschilde. "The Mother Goose Pages." U of Michigan. 28 Jan. 1999 . Munro, Ian. "Ring Around the Rosie." Home page. 28 Jan. 1999 . Murphy, Marali. "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick To Rewrite Rhymes." Oregonian (1995) : CO2. 21 Jan. 1999 . "Nursery Rhymes." Britannica Online. Jan. 1999. Encyclopedia Brittannica. 21 Jan. Nursery Rhymes."World Book Encyclopedia. (1994) : 620-621. 21 Jan. 1999 . Robinson, Hilary. "Reasons To Their Rhymes." Times Eduacational Supplement 4164 (1996) : B19. 21 Jan. 1999 . Sandlin, Kirsten. A Rhyme and a Reason. 13 Jan. 1999 . Seligman, Daniel. "Only in America." Fortune. 129:4 (1994) : 110. 21 Jan. 1999 . Winters, Charlene. "Fantasy Artist Takes Young Readers To Mother Goose Land." Daily Herald (1997) : 4. 21 Jan. 1999
Carroll’s works illustrate a firm understanding of nonsense. His stories and poems thrive in fantastic worlds of imagination. Because of this, they effortlessly thrive in the worlds of children, as well. Carroll writes with the mind of a child. He understood that, “For young children, whose brains are struggling to comprehend language, words are magical in any case; the magic of adults, utterly mysterious; no child can distinguish between "real" words and nonsensical or "unreal" words, and verse like [his] brilliant "Jabberwocky" has the effect of both arousing childish anxiety (what do these terrifying words mean?) and placating it (don't worry: you can decode the meaning by the context). Lewis Carroll, in whom the child-self abided through his celibate lifetime, understood instinctively the child's propensity to laugh at the very things that arouse anxiety…” (Oates 9)
Higgins, Kathleen. "Nietzsche's Nursery Rhymes." Historical Reflections / Réflexions Historiques 21.3, Nietzsche: Voices, Masks, and Histories (1995): 397-417. JSTOR. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. .
As a young child, mother goose nursery rhymes are nearly the entire basis for learning. By memorizing and reciting these verses, children develop memorization skills, verbal skills through communicating them effectively, and vocabulary. Of course, these nursery rhymes also establish valuable life lessons too. “Humpty Dumpty” and “Jack and Jill” both teach us about the violence that can occur as a result of carelessness, and “Queen of Hearts” teaches children that bad things happen to those who steal. But not all of these nursery rhymes come with such happy lessons. The two that I have chosen teach a more morbid lesson. Each is about how men pursue women for sex. Both illustrate examples of men using women for sex and discarding them, however, their approaches stem from roots as far apart as the polar caps.
The ability of words to calm a child’s fears is shown in “A Barred Owl.” Additionally, the author conveys the idea that even though one may say everything is alright, what one makes up in one’s mind is often worse than reality. The rhyme scheme in “A Barred Owl” helps depict the simple and soothing tone of the poem. Not only the rhyme scheme but also the repetition of certain consonants and sounds such as, “the warping night air having brought the boom / of an owl’s voice into her darkened room” help emphasize Wilbur’s i...
Lullaby, by Leslie Marmon Silko, is a story about and old, Navajo woman that is reflecting on some of the saddest events in her life. Lullaby shows how the white people have damaged the Native American life style, culture and traditions. Loss and symbolism are two major themes in this story.
The nursery in the story symbolizes the way women were treated like children. In the story, the narrator's husband places her in a nursery room, because she was going through post pardon depression, and he felt she shouldn't be able to see her child while she was sick. As she starts settle into the room, the more she begins to act like a child. Like a baby she could not leave the room whenever she wanted to, she couldn't do nothing but look at the wall and ceiling, and she was kept in one place under the care of her husband. John would treat her like a child by calling her names like "blessed little goose," and "little girl." Just like a baby she would cry for nothing most of the...
The Children’s and Household Tales, more commonly known as Grimms’ Fairy Tales were first published in 1812 by the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm. Although the title suggests otherwise, the vast majority were not intended as children’s tales. Containing violence, gore, and suggestive references, the stories were not well-suited for children. The stories were didactic at a time when discipline relied on fear and were written as “warning tales” for children. What made the stories so memorable were the many uses of figurative devices used to enhance them. The use of characterization, imagery, theme, and symbolism helped make the simple narratives beautiful, striking, and
At first glance, what makes a fairy tale a fairy tale may seem obvious—some kind of magic, hidden symbols, repetition, and of course it’s evident it’s fiction—but fables are more than that. As Arthur Schelesinger puts it, it’s about “[expanding] imagination” and gaining understanding of mysterious places (618). While doing this, it also helps children to escape this world, yet teach a lesson that the reader may not be conscious of. A wonderful story that achieves all of this is Cinderella, but not the traditional tale many American’s have heard. Oochigeaskw, or The Rough-Faced Girl, and Ashputtle would be fitting for a seven-year-old because they get the gears of the mind turning, allowing for an escape on the surface, with an underlying enlightenment for children of the ways of the world.
What kid hasn’t heard of Dr. Seuss? From “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish” to “A person’s a person, no matter how small” to “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere”, Dr. Seuss has filled the lives of children with whimsical stories and ideas. (8) Using casual dialect and everyday objects, he was able to spark the imagination of others. All the while, he instilled lessons into his writings. It is not a surprise that Dr. Seuss received an award for a “Lifetime of Contribution to Children’s Literature”. His work will be read and enjoyed for decades to come. All in all, no matter which Dr. Seuss story that the reader might select, his or her imagination will be sparked, and the reader will surely be entertained.
This poem would be initially enticing to a child because it mentions children in the title. It would be equally enticing because it contains a rhyme scheme that could easily be made "sing song" by a child. This "sing song" quality would also make it easier for the child to remember, thus making recitation easier. I think a child could relate to some of the lines like, "I hear in the chamber above me/The patter of little feet, The sound of a door that is opened, And voices soft and sweet." If a child was to recite these lines, however, I think they would see it as a joyful type of childhood playing. Whereas, within the context of the poem it is a very weird thing; it is weird because this man is keeping children in his chamber. By having a child recite this poem it changes the context dramatically, because a child would not understand that the "Children's Hour" is not a good thing at all. I did not totally understand this element until we talked about it in class, so I would hope that a child would not fully understand the concept either, thus making the poem more light-hearted and "sing song" in tone.
Throughout my childhood, my sister loved to write unique fairytales for me that would make my little mind soar. Although I didn’t read modern fairytales, fairytales played an important role in my childhood as they first helped me to read, gain knowledge about the world and understand myself. According to Bruno Bettelheim’s book, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairytales, fairy tales give children much knowledge about their identity, others emotions and their environment. Children gain knowledge by reading about life experiences similar to their own and use this knowledge they gain through out their development, just as I did. Grimm’s Fairy Tales, written by the Grimm Brothers
When anyone thinks about a children’s fairy tale, the most common one that comes to mind is “Little Red Riding Hood”. Fairy tales convey a hidden message to children. Like how in “Little Red Riding Hood” the message is to not talk to strangers. Fairy tales have been created to help children understand things in a fun and enjoyable way. Not every kid can learn and understand things the same way; it all depends on what they have been taught and exposed to in their life.
This article, is arguing about the cultural history on how the poor and the lower class would tell stories. These stories still affect our society today. This article states that fairy tales at first were meant for adults because children could not read. An example is Brothers Grimm, where “Weber argues that fairy tales can tell us a great deal about the real conditions in the world of those who told and those who heard the tales” (344). It also explains how the Grimm’s brother changed society with their stories of cruelty.
Our text book describes fairy tales as cautionary tales designed to frighten us, as children, into proper and obedient behavior (pg 169). They are to warn people of potential dangers. Through the years, we have all heard variations of the stories of “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Hansel and Gretel,” along with many more. In these narratives, we are supposed to notice the underlying dangers of talking to strangers, wondering around without adults, and the dangers of not listening to authority. There are also deeper meanings to these stories, such as protecting your virginity and to be wary of situations where death is possible. These may seem a little too dark for children, but it all depends on how deep you want to read into the narratives.
Many fairy tales are filled with things such as knights and princesses. They are written to make children feel safe and happy. Little known to many people fairy tales take on a deeper and darker meaning. Many fairy tales are just watered-down versions of tragic things that have happened in history. Many fairy tales have scary origins. Some may talk about rape, cannibalism, incest, and torture. Some may think that children cannot handle the truth of these events. Therefore they write fairy tales to numb the pain that may have had to deal