Wednesday, March 3, 2010
something dark for their innocence.
i was reading this agatha christie book "And Then There Were None'. i was intrigued at how the author encaptures eeriness and mystery at the same time just unfolding a murder story based on this NURSERY RYHME.
familiar right? now, let's find out how'd it came to be:
i was reading this agatha christie book "And Then There Were None'. i was intrigued at how the author encaptures eeriness and mystery at the same time just unfolding a murder story based on this NURSERY RYHME.
TEN LITTLE SOLDIER BOYS
"Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;
One chocked his little self and then there were Nine.
Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven.
Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
Six little soldier boys plazing with a hive;
A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
Five little soldier boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there were One.
One litttle soldier boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself.
And then there were None."
One chocked his little self and then there were Nine.
Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven.
Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
Six little soldier boys plazing with a hive;
A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
Five little soldier boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there were One.
One litttle soldier boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself.
And then there were None."
Frank Green, 1869
yeah, you heard me, NURSERY PYHMES. rhymes you recite to your children. creepy right? actually come to think of it, most of us may have been reciting DEATH ever since those ryhmes were taught to us. im not talking about THIS RYHME.
but these.
'Ring a Ring O' Roses,
A pocketful of posies,
Atishoo! Atishoo!
We all fall down!'
A pocketful of posies,
Atishoo! Atishoo!
We all fall down!'
familiar right? now, let's find out how'd it came to be:
"Ring a Ring O' Roses" is said to be a macabre parody on the horrors of the Great Plague. One of the first signs of the plague was a ring of rose-coloured spots, and the protection against this terrible disease was, in popular belief, a posy of herbs. Sneezing was taken as a sure sign that you were about to die of it, and the last line "We all fall down" omits the word, "dead"!
i bet you didn't see that one coming.
okay, how about this:
'Mary, Mary quite contrary
How does your garden grow,
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row'
How does your garden grow,
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row'
The tragic Mary, Queen of Scots is commonly accepted as the heroine of the rhyme, "Mary, Mary quite contrary". The cockle shells and silver bells are supposed to have been ornaments on a dress given to her by her first husband, the Dauphin of France. The pretty maids all in a row were her ladies in waiting, the famous Four Marys.
Another interpretation is that the rhyme could refer to Mary I, 'Bloody Mary'. Mary was a devout Catholic and upon taking the throne on the death of her brother Edward VI, restored the Catholic faith to England, hence 'Mary Mary quite contrary'. The 'garden' in the second line is taken to refer to the country itself. The 'silver bells' were a type of thumbscrew and the 'cockle shells' were also instruments of torture, used on Protestant martyrs to 'persuade' them to change faith. The 'maiden' was an instrument used to behead people (a little like the later French guillotine) and the line 'pretty maids all in a row' is taken to refer to the mass execution of Protestants during Mary's reign.
dark innit? on a lighter note, im about to finish my book and solve the murder. (:
-xoxo
♥xoxo, jo baby(:
@ 3/03/2010 06:57:00 PM
@ 3/03/2010 06:57:00 PM
QWERTY PHONE!