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Little Jack Horner - Naughty or Nice? Plucking the Goodness Out of Life

11/27/2019

2 Comments

 
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Vintage Mother Goose Illustration, A Little Golden Book, 1942, Meadow Sweet Grove Collection

I love digging into and dissecting old Mother Goose rhymes!

The first thing I noticed about this nursery rhyme is that Jack Horner is sitting in the corner; a place usually associated with punishment for a childhood mischief; so from this we may determine that Jack has done something naughty.  But he does not think he is naughty and in fact evaluates himself as a good boy, by virtue of either the existence of a plum in his pie, or by the fact that he himself has the power to extract it.  Both seem rather egotistical and out-of-keeping with how children would have been expected to behave in those long, long years past. So what has really happened here?

​It seems that there was an abbot in Glastonbury during the time of King Henry VIII who decided to gift twelve manor houses to the King.  By this he hoped to dissuade the King from his plan to dissolve the Catholic monasteries.  The impending "Dissolution of the Monasteries" resulted in the terrible disassembly and destruction that we see today when visiting the ruins of these magnificent structures; which aren't actually "ruins" at all, but the result of King Henry the VIII's wilful destruction.  The story goes that Thomas Horner, a steward of the abbot, was sent to London with a Christmas Pie that contained the deeds to the twelve manor houses.  He "put in his thumb" and extracted the deed to one manor house ... which he kept for himself, and his descendants live in it to this day.  The alternate story is that he bought the manor house from the King.  Also quite plausible as, when he delivered the Christmas Pie, he may well have known what the pie contained and asked leave to purchase one of the houses.

Either way, it would seem that the writer of this rhyme viewed "Jack Horner" as a "naughty boy in the corner" (opportunist), who saw a "plum" (the manor house) ripe for the picking in the pie, and let him self-proclaim himself "a good boy" (deserving) who was justified in enjoying the good things in life.


Since the writer allows this - was Jack, in actuality, naughty or nice?  Such a great poem for the Christmas season!
Bibliography: Mother Goose, A Little Golden Book, 1942 version; The Hidden History of Nursery Rhymes, education.com, 2006-2019

                                                                                                                                       Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 
2017 / edited 2019
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Broken Back Expressions

2/8/2018

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Charlie Brown Lucy footballGood ol' Charlie Brown - Charles M. Schulz

"Don't step on a crack or you'll break your Mother's back" (old nursery rhyme)

"The straw that broke the camel's back" (minor annoyances add up to a breaking point)

"Don't break your back" (don't work hard for no result/recognition)

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2018
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Rock-a-bye Baby

10/30/2017

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"Rock-a-bye baby" is such a well-known Mother Goose nursery rhyme.  Written with several different variations and popularized in song, it could mean, and has been interpreted to mean, so many different things (political, historical or maternal/post-partum feelings).  I think, in an attempt to explain what appears to be a very negative situation!  But what if it actually describes a joyous event?

One interpretation I haven't found yet, and which seems plain to me, is that it could describe the process of birth.  The tree top (Mom) is high up indeed for a little baby.  The wind blows (Mom or Mother Nature) giving all those life-sustaining needs to baby through the umbilical cord; which makes the cradle "rock" (ie function properly and do what it was designed to do).  When the bough (water) breaks, the cradle (amniotic sac) will fall ... and down will come baby ... cradle and all.

                                                                                                                                      Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 / edited 2020 ​
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Nestled safely in the womb ... Vintage Illustration: Clara M. Burd



(Hush) Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby cradle and all.

(Popular 19th Century version)
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Baby's current home (tree/womb) with gentle ribbon ties inside. A new home awaits (house) with Mom separate, but still ever present. Fairies/angels safeguard the process. Vintage Nursery Rhyme Illustration: Anne Rochester
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Family and friends eagerly awaiting the birth ... Vintage Illustration: Mabel Lucie Attwell
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Artist Unknown

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan, 2017 / edited 2020 ​
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Peter Piper #peterpiper #tonguetwisters #ruthsanderson

10/6/2017

2 Comments

 
PicturePeter Piper, Illustration by Ruth Sanderson
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

Lots of us get lazy with our pronunciation of certain words - here's a little tongue twister that was designed to help children with their diction.  Give it a try - it's lots of fun too!



                                                                                                                                                              Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017

2 Comments

Put your best foot forward ... fairy tale shoes.

9/15/2017

4 Comments

 
It's amazing how many fairy tales focus around shoes.  These are just a few that come to mind at present:
  • Cinderella
  • The Elves and the Shoemaker
  • Puss 'n Boots
  • The Wizard of Oz
  • The Red Shoes
  • Wynken, Blynken & Nod
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • There was an Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe
GIF Magic Shoes
Vintage Puss 'n Boots
Why shoes?  I think, maybe, it is because everyone wears shoes!  Even in the "old days", shoes were something that everyone owned ... or at least wanted to own!  Shoes are incredibly practical - they keep feet warm, dry and safe from damage - a seriously wise investment from peasant to  royalty!  If magic is to be accessible for all, it has to exist in the humblest and simplest of circumstances, and in the most prosaic of possessions - as is certainly the case in all of the tales cited.  

Shoes, in all of these stories, have the power to be the vehicle of transformation ...  or transportation!  So the leap from their true usage is not that far.  Every one of these stories takes the protagonist to a different place. 

Cinderella climbs the ranks in society and in wealth, even as she climbs the stairs to the palace.  The Shoemaker and Puss n' Boots make good on that as well.  In fact, Puss is smart enough to ASK for the boots, as this kitty-cat already knows they are the necessary item to start on a successful journey to status and riches!  Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz) and Karen (The Red Shoes) both have spiritual awakenings and realize that "happiness can be found anywhere", even in poverty or uncomfortable circumstances or surroundings.  Wynken, Blynken & Nod have, at the same time, already arrived and still have a long way to go.  They can afford to literally reach for the stars as they're dreaming safe in bed with a Mother's Love overseeing their slumber.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses require a lot more study - there is just too much going on there and lots of variations to the story.   And the Poor Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe?  There are many analogies suggested for its possible political meaning, but perhaps she is simply trapped in circumstances.  Shoes tied to the back of the wedding carriage, symbolize both a binding contract and fertility.  Well, she certainly got both of those in spades!  It is perhaps a warning to be wary of what a simple pair of shoes can do for you ... be mindful where yours take you.

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017
4 Comments

A Rainy Day Spell from Mother Goose

3/30/2017

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PictureVintage "A Little Golden Book" Mother Goose, 1942

Some Mother Goose verses are real noodle-scratchers that puzzle us and beg to be deciphered ... this one, however, speaks plain and simple.  Johnny would like to play outside and it would be a lot more pleasant to do so if it weren't raining.

Yet if you look closer, a spell emerges from this simple children's rhyme. I love to find the magic in the everyday around us!

A spell to charm away the rain:

"Rain, rain, go away;"
Here the wish, want or desire is clearly stated.

"Come again another day;"
Here a caveat is placed to ensure that there will be no unwanted consequences (eg drought).

"Little Johnny wants to play."

This provides the emotional charge or feeling required to make the spell work. Johnny is waiting in the garden on a bench with a "heart" motif; just as he himself puts his heart into his wish by visualizing himself at play. Bucket and spade at the ready illustrates his belief that his wish will come true.


All the elements of a successful spell are present. The whole thing rhymes which makes it easy to remember and recite.  And as they say "3 times the charm". This is reflected in the amount of lines in the rhyme ... and reinforced by the number of ducklings.

Let's hope little Johnny gets his wish!

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 / edited 2019
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A Nursery Rhyme from Mother Goose #mothergoose

1/27/2017

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From Meadow Sweet Grove's extensive collection of Mother Goose Books (both old & new) - "Rhymes from Mother Goose, c 1903 W. B. Conkey Company"
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​​Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017
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Disclaimer: Many of the items sold are vintage or pre-loved. Quality of vintage items vary with the manufacturing methods available at the time of production. They are not made to current standards of manufacturing ... and in my opinion, that is usually a good thing! They tend to be higher quality, last longer and include more attention to detail than today's products. However, safety standards do change over time, items do deteriorate with age, and it is up to the customer to decide how they will use each product.
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