nursery rhymes
Baa Baa black sheep - sociological
Baa baa black sheep is a children's nursery rhyme about a sheep which provides it's wool to the master, dame and little boy. In England in the 18th century, there was a medieval wool tax, very similiar to this rhyme. This wool tax was a source of revenue for the crown. This rhyme can be placed under the sociological lens as there are heirarchies and social classes involved in this rhyme. The hierarchies are clearly shown through the distribution of wool. The master is the upper class, the dame (the wife) is granted benefit from the master, and the little boy is in the lower class. These are power dynamics present in a simply nursery rhyme when examined under the sociological lens.
London bridge is falling down - historical
London bridge is falling down is a nursery rhyme about a bridge collapsing, and the same bridge being rebuilt in London. The rhyme could be drawing a reference to the London Bridge that has been destroyed and rebuilt many times in the past. Looking at the rhyme through the historical lens, it can be a symbol of the resilience we have had as a population to rebuild architecture when there are structural failures.
Jack and jill - psychoanalytical
Jack and Jill is a nursery rhyme about two children who proceed up a hill to obtain water and then fall, they come tumbling back down subsequently. This rhyme regarding climbing a hill and rolling back down can be interpreted as the steep path of success and failure. The detail that they fall after each other could show how important the people that you are surrounded by impact your decisions and life. It can symbolize the human event of setback and disappointment when rolling down the hill shortly after climbing it.