Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs in Nineteen Eighty-Four PDF

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Essay on Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs in Nineteen Eighty-Four...

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Anika Kaushal section 00029

Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs in Nineteen Eighty-Four

The traditional English nursery rhyme “Oranges and lemons” and the song sung by the Prole woman have a great significance to George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The rhyme acts as foreshadowing throughout the entire text. According to Smith from Enotes, “Oranges and Lemons” foreshadows that “Charrington will be the one to bring down Winston” (Smith) as well as the certain and definite death for individuals who seek knowledge (Smith). This rhyme acts as a symbol as well. Based on Rrteacher from Enotes analysis, it is symbolic of the ways in which Big Brother has managed to abolish traditional English culture which had been present for a numerous amount of centuries before (Rrteacher). Gpane from Enotes presents an interesting analysis to a literary element present in the narrative, the song sung by the Prole woman “symbolizes how the Proles are liberated in spirit” (Gpane), which is strikingly different from the Party members. This song is representing how the Proles are free in spirit, unlike the Party members. Both the song that the Prole woman is singing and the rhyme are symbolic of the “lost past” (Gpane). Orwell makes usage of the nursery rhyme and song in a great amount of ways. “Oranges and Lemons” and the Prole woman’s song are used as multiple literary elements to present deeper meanings and hidden messages in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. (KMJ23) A shopkeeper by the name of Charrington introduces the rhyme to Winston. Charrington is exposed to Winston’s “anti-social behavior” (Smith) in two ways. The first way is brought into light when Winston purchases the paper weight and the second way is seen when he purchases the journal (Smith). Charrington had knowledge of this “anti-social behavior” (Smith) which leads to him offering Winston the room for him to rent. He proceeds by giving him a few lines

from the rhyme, both of these acts are in aim to lure Winston further (Smith). Winston’s lack of ability “to let the rhyme go” (Smith) represents the foreshadowing, “Winston’s inability to let the rhyme go foreshadows the questioning that will lead him to his death” (Smith).It is evident that Charrington has a goal of taking down Winston and he provides a warning while in the process, “I do know it ended up, here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head.” (Orwell). Smith provides an explanation as to what the warning means, “The warning being when enlightenment comes then you will die” (Smith). This warning is implying that he will die when awareness and understanding comes into light. Smith presents a compelling approach to reveling deeper meanings from the rhyme as well, “The rhyme is a puzzle a seeking of light, knowledge an understanding and this understanding will only come as the person is about to die. This foreshadows that once Winston understands he will be about to die” (Smith). In other words, this is foreshadowing that Winston will only gain this understanding once he reaches a near death experience. “Though never mentioned in the novel the final line “Chip chop Chip chop the last man is dead” foreshadows Winston’s ultimate death and destruction. The rhyme states that “the last man is dead” and O’Brien himself says, “If you are a man, Winston, you are the last man.” If Winston is the last man then he is dead” (Smith). This is a unique way Orwell presented Winston’s death in Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is one of the many examples of how Orwell used a literary element to project deeper meanings and hidden messages in the text. The author left the readers to unravel the meaning of that final line. The significance of “Oranges and Lemons” is that individuals cannot remember in its whole. Rrteacher explains this, “The significance of "Oranges and Lemons," a traditional English rhyme, is that people cannot remember it in its entirety. It is symbolic of the ways in which Big Brother has wiped out traditional English culture (or most of it) that had existed for centuries

before. Winston and Julia try, but fail, to remember the lines to the rhyme, and Julia doesn't even know what a lemon is” (Smith). This rhyme is symbolic of the means in which Big Brother has abolished traditional English culture which had been present for many centuries before. Winston and Julia attempt to recall the lines to the rhyme, however, they fail at doing so as Julia does not have knowledge as to what a lemon is. In a different scene, O’brien “reveals that he knows the last line to the rhyme” (Rrteacher). This leads Winston to believe that he is a “sympathizer” (Rrteacher) and puts Winston under the impression that he is a supporter. Rrteacher describes this to be a “ruse”, “Of course, this is a ruse, and by the end of the book, it is clear that the rhyme will not survive another generation” (Rrteacher). Therefore, by the end of Nineteen Eighty-Four it is made clear that the rhyme will not be present in the future as it will certainly not survive another generation. Winston asks the elderly man, Charrington, to describe the rhyme to him, Charrington proceeds by saying "Oh - 'Oranges and lemons, says the bells of St Clement's.' That was a rhyme we had when I was a little boy. How it goes on I don't remember, but I do know it ended up, 'Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head.' It was a kind of dance. They held out their arms for you to pass under, and when they came to 'Here comes a chopper to chop off your head' they brought their arms down and caught you" (Orwell). This leads to the understanding of how the author uses symbolism in regards to the rhyme in the narrative. It is an example of a forgotten world where crucial facts and childhood rhymes that create life and are incorporated into life, are forgotten (Rrteacher). This emphasizes the dire times of the totalitarian state which forbids anything that is not propaganda supporting Big Brother, “This of course highlights the horror of the totalitarian state where anything that is not propaganda supporting Big Brother is prohibited.” (Rrteacher). The concept of foreshadowing is seen another time in Nineteen Eighty-Four, “this rhyme foreshadows the fate of

Winston and Julia” (Rrteacher). The passage "Here comes a chopper to chop off your head." (Orwell) contributes to the clear indication of how Winston’s endeavors “to rebel against the system are doomed to failure” (Rrteacher), this is implying that Winston will result in definite failure. The rhyme is representing “glimpses of a world that has been lost and forgotten” (Rrteacher). There is a symbolic significance of the song sung by the Prole woman and the nursery rhyme. The song sung by the Prole woman “symbolizes how the Proles are liberated in spirit” (Gpane), which is strikingly different from the Party members. Gpane describes the Proles and the members of the Party, “the proles are natural, human, instinctive, aligned to the birds in their love and freedom of song, while the Party members are stiff, unnatural, denying themselves and others the freedom and joy of self-expression” (Gpane). The passage “The birds sang, the proles sang, the Party did not sing.” (Orwell) gives sense to the description of the Proles. The members of the Party are ridged and firm. The final lines “Here comes a candle to light you to bed. Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.” (Orwell) add to the significance of the rhyme to the book. Orwell precisely planned when these final lines should be mentioned in order to reveal a deeper meaning to the narrative, the best timing is when Julia and Winston are arrested, “It is no accident that these lines are mentioned when Winston and Julia are arrested. This seemingly innocuous nursery rhyme has a sinister ending, just as Winston and Julia's stay with the supposedly gentle old man Charrington has a grim finale, when Charrington turns out to be a member of the Thought Police” (Gpane). This nursery rhyme is depicted to be harmless, although has a menacing ending. The song that the Prole woman is singing and the rhyme are both symbolic of the past (KMJ23). The past is now a lost world, the current society the characters in Nineteen Eighty-Four live in have no connections or relations to the past world.

Both the song that the Prole woman and the nursery rhyme symbolize the way life used to be before the Party gained power, “Secondly, the Prole woman's song and the nursery rhyme are both symbolic of the past, of the way of life before the Party came to power” (KMJ23). Nursery rhymes and children's songs were foreign to this new world, which was a concept that Winston did not encourage. Winston did not support this new world; he would much rather have the previous world back. “For Winston, this was a time of personal freedom when people could live as they pleased and be with whomever they choose, without fear of violence.” (KMJ23). In Winston’s point of view, the concept of personal freedom was still present. Individuals were allowed to live their lives the way they wanted as well as be with whoever they wanted. Everyone had the right to live their life without the constant “fear of violence” (KMJ23). This was an ideal world for Winston as he did not support the concept of dictatorship. For Winston, “these symbols evoke nostalgia because he is desperate to return to this way of life. His dream is to create a world in which the Party no longer exists, a world in which songs and nursery rhymes flourish” (KMJ23). This quote is discussing how these symbols elicit the idea of nostalgia as he is willing to do anything to return to his previous way of life, before power of the Party came into place. His goal was to live in a world where the Party does not exist as well as a world where nursery rhymes and songs thrive and prosper. The nursery rhyme “Oranges and lemons” and the song sung by the Prole woman both provide a great significance to Nineteen Eighty-Four. “Oranges and Lemons” acts as foreshadowing throughout the entire novel. The foreshadowing is present when it becomes evident that “Charrington will be the one to bring down Winston” (Smith) as well as the definite death for individuals who seek knowledge (Smith). This rhyme is symbolic of the ways in which Big Brother has managed to practically erase any traces of “traditional English culture”

(Rrteacher) which had been present for a numerous amount of centuries before (Rrteacher). The Prole woman’s song symbolizes how the Proles are liberated and free in spirit, which is considerably different from the Party members (Gpane). The song that the Prole woman is singing and the rhyme are both symbolic of the past (KMJ23). Both symbolize the lost and forgotten world that Winston is desperately attempting to get back as he does not support the new world after the Party came in power (KMJ23). It is very clear that the nursery rhyme and song sung by the Prole woman are used in numerous ways throughout the whole novel. All of the foreshadowing and symbolism used by Orwell represent deeper comprehensions of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. “Oranges and Lemons” and the Prole woman’s song are used as foreshadowing and symbolism to project deeper meanings and hidden messages in Nineteen Eighty-Four. (KMJ23)

Works Cited

Access teacher. “What Does the St. Clements Rhyme from the Novel 1984 Symbolize?” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-does-st-clements-rhyme-fromnovel-1984-216849. Gpane, and KMJ23. “What Is the Symbolic Significance of the Clock, the Song Sung by the Prole Woman and the Nursery Rhyme about the Bells of St Clements?” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-symbolic-significance-clock-song-sung-by-133451. Smith, Winston, and Rrteacher. “What Is the Importance to the Rhyme Oranges and Lemons in 1984?” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-importance-rhymeoranges-lemons-1984-347520....