NURSERY RHYMES

History of Nursery Rhymes

• Nursery Rhymes were often used as a joke toward royalty and political events in history.
• It was used as a vehicle to secretly spread sub-verse messages.
• Direct criticism would often be punishable by death so nursery rhymes were made to keep secret gossip
• Nursery rhymes were created in the 1300's but weren't printed until the late 1500's because people couldn't read

RING AROUND THE ROSIE

• This nursery rhyme is associated with the bubonic plague in 1665.
• • The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (Ring around the rosy).
• People would carry posies in their pockets because they thought the disease was spread by bad odor.
• The death rate was over 60%.
• The plague was stopped by the Great Fire of London in 1666 which killed the rats that carried the disease.

JACK AND JILL

• Jack and Jill are said to be King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.
• King Louis was beheaded and lost his crown while Queen Marie came after.
• The first publication date for Jack and Jill wasn't until 1795.
• The beheadings began in 1793 during the Reign of Terror.
• Jill was actually supposed to be spelled with a G but people couldn't spell.

THE CHAPBOOKS

• Nursery rhymes were officially printed in 1570. They were put into chapbooks or books.
• A chapbook is a small booklet or pamphlet that held poems, ballads, and religious tracts.
• People were now learning to read but many people still were unable too.
• Even though chapbooks were meant for reading, people bought it too look at the pictures.
• This is why Nursery Rhymes were put into children's books because people never really read the books.

BEHEADINGS

• Death was usually associated with beheadings.
• The cut head was to see the crowd after his/her death.
• Consciousness remains at least 8 seconds after beheading.
• The English were the first to use the guillotine method instead of chopping.