Reading Notes: Nursery Rhymes, Part A
This week I am reading The Nursery Rhyme Book by Andrew Lang. I chose this reading because I am needing some inspiration for the semester project and I thought it would be fun to recreate a story from this unit. Part A of this unit has the following types of Nursery Rhymes: tales, proverbs, songs, riddles, paradoxes, charms and lullabies, and games.
I would have to say that my favorite type of nursery rhymes so far have been the riddles. I have always found riddles fun and engaging. The ones that I read in this unit were kind of weird, in my opinion. I think they are weird because most of them are ambiguous and the answers seem random. However, some of them did make more sense after knowing the answer.
Here is an example of a riddle I found strange:
"LONG legs, crooked thighs,
Little Head, and no eyes."
And the answer to this riddle is a 'pair of tongs.' Personally, I never would have guessed the answer, but it makes sense once it is revealed. Another reason I find it weird is that I do not understand the point of it, but maybe the point is that there is not supposed to be a point...? Maybe that is what is so beautiful about nursery rhymes, which will help me when brainstorming for this week's story assignment.
In a couple of these rhymes, there was a line that I thought would be very helpful for my project. The line that I am referring to is, "If you tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring." This line was at the end of the rhyme and when it is found in other rhymes it can change, but only the last part. "If you tell me this riddle, I'll..." is what is kept the same when used in other rhymes. I thought this would be good to use so I could have my main character, Octopian, receive another artifact.
I think a fun story could come from a rhyme that is a game or a tale. I also think doing a paradox would be fun, but maybe a little more difficult. It will be challenging to recreate a rhyme, but I noticed that a lot of them are almost completely repetitive. Although, I do not want to rely on repetition.
I would have to say that my favorite type of nursery rhymes so far have been the riddles. I have always found riddles fun and engaging. The ones that I read in this unit were kind of weird, in my opinion. I think they are weird because most of them are ambiguous and the answers seem random. However, some of them did make more sense after knowing the answer.
Here is an example of a riddle I found strange:
"LONG legs, crooked thighs,
Little Head, and no eyes."
And the answer to this riddle is a 'pair of tongs.' Personally, I never would have guessed the answer, but it makes sense once it is revealed. Another reason I find it weird is that I do not understand the point of it, but maybe the point is that there is not supposed to be a point...? Maybe that is what is so beautiful about nursery rhymes, which will help me when brainstorming for this week's story assignment.
In a couple of these rhymes, there was a line that I thought would be very helpful for my project. The line that I am referring to is, "If you tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring." This line was at the end of the rhyme and when it is found in other rhymes it can change, but only the last part. "If you tell me this riddle, I'll..." is what is kept the same when used in other rhymes. I thought this would be good to use so I could have my main character, Octopian, receive another artifact.
I think a fun story could come from a rhyme that is a game or a tale. I also think doing a paradox would be fun, but maybe a little more difficult. It will be challenging to recreate a rhyme, but I noticed that a lot of them are almost completely repetitive. Although, I do not want to rely on repetition.
An image I made on Cheezburger. The paradox is from Lang's Nursery Rhyme Book.
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