Blogpost 1: "A Rhyme To Remember"

          As a child my parents trained me to be a wide reader and a literate, that's why they bought me a lot of interesting books; stories about magical lands, mythical creatures, fairy tales, princesses and of course nursery rhymes. My mother would read to me these books and teach me how to sing the songs properly. Since I have always been musically oriented,  I was able to memorize the lyrics of the song as well as the tune very quickly. I would sing those songs for hours and hours until I was able to sing myself to sleep.  

Jack and Jill

          What are nursery rhymes? Nursery rhymes are traditional poems, mostly for young children, that have originated from many different countries and cultures,

 but most of the popular ones like "Baa Baa Black Sheep and London Bridge" came from Great Britain. Most nursery rhymes came from historical events in the past. Most of the popular ones came from the British politics. They were made as a way for the towns people to spread gossip about their kings and queens without having to face the penalty of death. 

          In the website www.education.com Natalie Kidd posted an article entitled "The Hidden History of Nursery Rhymes". 

In this article she stated that, most of the rhymes come from British Origins, and that they were created for different reasons.

"Many of the nursery rhymes that we have read to our children have their origins in British history. Rhymes were written for many different reasons. Some rhymes were written to honor a particular local event that has since been forgotten, while others were written to express feelings of love. Rhymes were also used to hide real meanings, such as when someone wanted to express displeasure toward the government or the sovereign without being executed! Another reason for rhymes is that they’re easy to remember, and therefore could be spread by word-of-mouth—an essential feature for a large population of people who could not read or write. Here are some common nursery rhymes that have interesting interpretations regarding figures and events in British history. But be warned, they are not for the faint-hearted!"          

Little Miss Muffet

          Historians say that these nursery rhymes, as we know today, had been secret messages that that were used against the nobles of renowned houses. They revealed the truth about a certain royals who had committed adultery against their their spouses, the vile and cruel deeds of sadism by a certain queen, they also reveal the truth of how rotten their kingdom is. In the past, the townspeople were not allowed to say bad things or rumors about the people in authority. If they did, they would either be imprisoned or worse- killed. Even if they knew the despicable deeds of the nobleman who ruled over them, the people did not have a right to say a word. They did not have freedom of speech. But those townspeople, and even the church did not want to keep silent. That's why they devised a way for them to spread the message to everyone, without the hierarchy to know what's really going on. All in all, nursery rhymes were not meant to be innocent kids music in the first place.

Another article from www.helium.com written by: Maria C Collins says: 

"All cultures have nursery rhymes. They are small rhythmic poems recited or read to very little children, almost from babyhood. Their origins are often very old. Some of them were originally lampoons of royal and political events of the day. They were what children heard around them, almost like popular music today."

She also added: 

"They are a way to teach children many things. People who cannot read and write must remember all necessary knowledge. In man’s history, before widespread literacy, people passed history and knowledge to their children in stories and song. The rich and colourful images in stories and song helped children to remember and retain useful information and helped them to learn, from other people’s experience, the things that they would need for adult life and to remember their origins, genealogy, and history."

Humpty Dumpty

        Nursery rhymes teach children a lot of things. They are also a very vital part of a child's learning experience in toddler and pre-school. They are used to teach children about literacy, patterns,  alliteration, tone and rhythm in a fun and exciting was, in order for the children to stay interested while they learn. In some places, people have a different use of nursery rhymes. Some are used to make the children fall asleep, others to teach them lessons and good values, some teach them as a part of their history or culture and others to scare them so that they won't do anything bad. But whatever nursery rhyme that may be, and wherever it originated, there are always a hidden meaning to each and every one of them.

          Now I leave you with this question to boggle your mind: Do you know the truth behind your favorite nursery rhyme? Maybe you've been cursing someone all along or maybe you've been singing to your death.

~Ken Ricafort~