Why are old nursery rhymes so violent?

Question

For example rock a bye baby, and ring around the rosie, Jack and jill, Humpty dumpty, Etc?

Answer 1

oh come on now.are you serious.

to answer the question. they are just rhymes.

Answer 2

It's because they're all social commentary.

Answer 3

Well ring aroud the rosie was a song about the plague.  just so thats cleared up.  Why it became a childresns song couldnt tell you.

Most stories and nursery rymes that seem violent were meant back in the day to teach kids lessons. Name a fairy tale, look up the Grimm version.  It is nearly garenteed to have a gruesom ending.  it was all the people had back in the day to teach their kids.

Ex) Hansel and Gretel.  Two kids go into the woods then kidnapped by a witch who eats them..what do you learn? Dont go in the woods without an adult. And they wouldnt.

Answer 4

Because they didn't take them so seriously.

Answer 5

There are codes of war .

GOD BLESS

Answer 6

Wednesday, you obviously have no idea what any of those rhymes mean.  Your answer was ridiculous.

I don't know myself what they were so violent for, but I'm sure if you were to use google, or any other search engine, you could find out.  I'm sorry to be ignorant in my response, but at least I wasn't a moron, and make light of some extremely violent and morbid rhymes.

Answer 7

How can the be violent? First of all they are nursery rhymes, and they are all make-believe.  There is no such thing as Humpty Dumpty, if this was real, then there will be no nusery rhymes.

Answer 8

Wednesday is an idiot.

Answer 9

They taught an important lessons.

The world is a dangerous place and you need to err on the side of caution.

Don't lie and mistreat people (Cinderella)

Don't lie (The Boy who Cried Wolf)

Don't talk to strangers (Little Red Riding Hood)

Don't do shoddy work (Three Little Pigs)

Don't be irresponsible (Jack and the Beanstock)

Be mindful of death (Ring around the Rosie)

Some of them though, like Humpty Dumpty, may have just been commentaries about a prominent figure or event. A satire, if you will.

Answer 10

I have wondered the same thing my dear, when i was in about 9th or 10th grade, can't remember which, my teacher actually di a little study on those nursery rhymes and explained just how morbid they really were, i had never really given them much thought until then, but he really got me thinking about it, and i got the creeps thinking how so many parents had sang those same rhymes to their children so may times, i'm sure the parents didn't mean any thing by it, but i guess they never gave them much thought either. i always thought mother goose was strange anyway!

Answer 11

Oh ...the humanity!....babies rocking in cradles !...a broken egg !....kids holding hands playing around a rose. !....Good Lord what next?!?....

Aaawwww....thanks skeeter....is that your coon dog barking?....oh, and the Walmart opens in 10 minutes!