Ring Around the Rosies

Essay by DanaGoodyearUniversity, Bachelor'sA, May 2014

download word file, 3 pages 0.0

"Ring around the rosies, a pocketful of posies 'Ashes, Ashes', we all fall down. So, this is about the black plague, which I kind of knew; but I didn't really believe until researching it's meaning for this paper. The pocket full of posies was because people were putting the flower in their pockets to cover up the sickness, and the smell of death/decay. The very imagery of this nursery rhyme when understood creates such a dark undertone into historical perspective and current or modern, application there of. One thing is very certain, and that is the variance of morals that lay beneath the surface, or can within the confines of modern society and our approach to understanding historical context into modern psychological application.

This is effective today, as it could be related to many varied things in today's world, as an applicable warning to children to be ever wary and vigilant to wash their hands in the most simple of examples.

It can play a role in solidifying the undertones of reinforced behavior in regards to hygienic behavior and actions, that play greater roles in long term muscle memory. For instance, if a child washes their hands they can avoid sickness, or death, and more so; spreading said sickness or death to other children and avoid the plague(not to mention further applications of such into adulthood as well). "Wash your hands after dinner!", can be a strong cue of remembrance to the inherent lessons within the subtext of this rhyme, and the concurrent reasoning behind said hygienic patterns of behavior. The same can be applied to using the bathroom, sneezing, or being sick in general. The health implication is the foremost moral application within the context of this rhyme, and should never be forgotten to the level...