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Par For The Course

Arts & Culture > Poetry & Prose > Jack and Jill
 

Jack and Jill

Whoa! Another post just one day after. Be sure to read the previous one. I'm still excited about its ramifications in my life!

Okay, we've all heard about Jack and Jill going up the hill to fetch a pail of water. I always thought Jack was King Louis XVI, and Jill was Queen Marie Antoinette. Jack lost his crown (head), and Jill "came tumbling after". Ouch.

But then I recently read that the poem goes back further. "Jack and Jill" is actually an extended allegory about taxes. The jack and jill were two forms of measurement in early England. When Charles I scaled down the jack (originally two ounces) so as to collect higher sales tax, the jill, which was twice the size of the jack, was automatically reduced, hence "came tumbling after".

So which is correct? There are many "Jacks" in nursery rhymes. I wonder why? And they each have their own tale of origin. Little Jack Horner, Jack be nimble, Jack Sprat, etc.

Mary, Mary, (quite contrary) was Mary, Queen of Scots. Her "garden" was headstones. And to think we parents innocently read these gruesome rhymes to our children and grandchildren!

Tune in tomorrow. I may post 3 days "in a row" (no pun intended with Mary).

posted on Feb 22, 2011 6:23 AM ()

Comments:

I like the tax explanation.
comment by troutbend on Feb 24, 2011 12:39 PM ()
Bambi's mother dying in the fire in the forest--how many kids never forget that scene no matter how old they get?!?!?!?!?!
comment by greatmartin on Feb 23, 2011 7:15 AM ()
I was not a fan of any 60s folk singers but I remember Puff, The Magic Dragon and it was innocuous or so I thought. You have now shattered that illusion as well.
comment by tealstar on Feb 23, 2011 6:07 AM ()
Ring around the Rosy's all fall down was supposed to be about the black
death but as a kid it didn't bother me at all.
comment by elderjane on Feb 22, 2011 5:06 PM ()
You're correct! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. Ugh! I prefer "Froggy in the meadow, can't get out. Take a little stick and stir him all about."! No deep meaning there (is there?)!
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:53 AM ()
Excellent again! This is something I find really interesting, my son was into research and also the meaning "Through the Looking Glass" and I remember saying those little rhymes as a kid, so as a parent it is wise to know the background of Fairy Tales and Rhymes
comment by anacoana on Feb 22, 2011 10:48 AM ()
Thanks, Ana. Just having a little fun with this post. I sometimes get too serious.
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:50 AM ()
Learn something new everytime you post.
comment by crazylife on Feb 22, 2011 10:27 AM ()
I don't know about that. I'm certainly not looking to be a "know-it-all". I just love reading. That's where you find knowledge.
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:47 AM ()
I had never had anyone in my family growing up reading to me or stress education.Jack and Jill came into my life later on in years like everything else.I made it and proud of my self in learning on my own.None of my sibling ever,ever stressed the important of readind and know nursery rhymes.As older Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were my favorites.I envy them in their life getting in scrap and just enjoying the outdoor life.
But this is getting away from your post.Loved the comment made by jonjude.
corrupt this are they serious?Sorry,that I got carried away.Which is typical.
comment by fredo on Feb 22, 2011 10:00 AM ()
No problem. You can get carried away anytime you want. Speak your mind!
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:44 AM ()
Children hear these tales and take them at face value- no hidden meanings or innuendos. The rhythm and cadence please them, the images are humorous. I prefer a child's perspective. A lot of old songs and carols have hidden meanings too. Just let me sing the song and delight in its innocence, please!
comment by dragonflyby on Feb 22, 2011 8:40 AM ()
Ah, the child in all of us. Sorry to burst your innocence bubble! You don't like picturing Jill's head "tumbling after"?
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:43 AM ()
And look what Walt Disney did to all the kids of our age--well, my age anyway!!
comment by greatmartin on Feb 22, 2011 7:37 AM ()
What--with his animated movies like Snow White? Perhaps The Sorcerer's Apprentice?
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:41 AM ()
When I was little, one of my favorite books I asked my Mom and Dad to read to me over and over was "Grimm's Fairly Tales." Hell's Bells — those tales scare the crap out of me now!
comment by marta on Feb 22, 2011 6:34 AM ()
True. Many fairy tales were pretty scary. I never liked Hansel and Gretel for that reason.
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:38 AM ()
In Scotch drinking parlance, a "Jill" is a measure. A shot glass is 4/5 of a Jill.
comment by jondude on Feb 22, 2011 6:34 AM ()
I'll drink to that!
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:35 AM ()
Learn something everyday from you, Jon! Cheers!
reply by marta on Feb 22, 2011 6:35 AM ()
Your historical research is appreciated but I wouldn't worry about these rhymes corrupting children since their origins were so obscure that until I read your post, none of the dark ramifications touched me. Now, of course, I will have nightmares. Thanks.
comment by tealstar on Feb 22, 2011 6:34 AM ()
As if you don't have enough to dream about! I was always interested in the "folk songs" of the 60s and 70s and their references to drugs, i.e., "Puff, The Magic Dragon". Like nursery rhymes, the lyrics appear harmless. But there's a darker side that lurks behind the words!
reply by solitaire on Feb 23, 2011 5:34 AM ()

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