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Falling Down
Humpty Dumpty sat on the edge
of his seat watching the three blind mice down below attempting to avoid the farmer’s wife as Little Miss Muffett sat
down next to Humpty. Humpty was commenting on the pitfalls of trying to avoid some of life’s major unpleasant
changes.
“The secret”,
said Humpty, “is in being discerning before you take the plunge and commit to a reasonable course of action.”
“I suppose so”, said Miss Muffett, absentmindedly swatting at a nearby spider. “We’re not always sure when we commit to something that it will turn out the way we expected
though”, she said.
Humpty was only half listening; he was distracted by what appeared
to be quite a few of the king’s men, all riding their way at a gallop.
“I wonder where they’re headed in
such a hurry” commented Miss Muffet. Humpty repositioned himself on the
wall to get a better look at the horsemen.
Donnel Lester
February 2005
Nursery Rhyme Interpretations
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat
on a wall
Humpty
Dumpty had a great fall
All the Kings horses
And all the Kings men
Couldn’t
put Humpty together again
Humpty Dumpty was a common “nickname” for people of large proportions in the 1400’s.
This rhyme refers to King Richard III of England. The Battle of Bosworth took place on 22nd August
1485. It was the fight for the throne between King Richard III and the head of the house of Lancaster, Henry Tudor. Richard
sat on his horse atop Ambion Hill ready for battle, directing his armies when he was murdered. Other suggested origins are
that During the English Civil War (1642-49) “Humpty Dumpty” was the name for a powerful cannon. It was mounted
atop the St. Marys Wall Church in Colchester to defend the city against siege in the summer
of 1648. (Colchester was a Parliamentarian stronghold but had been captured by Royalists
and they held it for 11 weeks.) The enemy hit the church tower and the top was blown off. “Humpty Dumpty” fell
off and tumbled to the ground. The King’s men tried to fix him but to no avail. Another suggests that “Humpty
Dumpty” refers to the tale of Charles I (Humpty Dumpty) of England.
He was toppled by the Puritan majority in Parliament (the great fall). The King’s army (Cavaliers) could not restore
his power. Charles I was executed by the Roundheads (“couldn’t put back together again”).
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The
Man and His Goat
In
a place not far away, there was a man who lived on a small farm in the hills at the edge of a valley. He was pretty much self-sufficient, tending his fields, harvesting crops, and milking his goat.
As
he did each day after a day's work in the fields, the man sat on a stool in the yard next to his modest house milking his
goat. The man valued the goat because the goat provided for some of the man's
needs without asking for much in return. With the milk, the man was
able to make a variety of baked and cooked foods, cheeses, and sell the rest at the nearby village. The goat helped sustain the man.
One
particular day, unbeknownst to the man, high up in a nearby tree, a monkey sat watching the man milking the goat. The monkey watched the process with great curiosity. After
milking the goat, the man took the pan with the milk in it, placed it in the shade to cool and then he returned to his house
to tend to other chores.
Without
the man to challenge him, the monkey climbed down from the tree to investigate. The
monkey strolled over to the goat, being careful to keep his distance even though the goat was tethered, and then approached
the pan with the milk in it. The monkey dipped his fingers in the milk and then
cautiously touched his fingers to his lips. Finding the milk to his liking, the
monkey bent down and drank his fill. With most of the milk gone, the monkey took
a handful of milk, splashed it on the goat's face and tipped the pan over, letting the remaining milk spill out and seep into
the earth.
A short while later the man returns to retrieve the milk which would have cooled by now only to find
the overturned pan and a damp spot on the ground. Confused, the man looked around,
unable to understand what had happened to the milk and then he spotted the goat with milk still on its face. The man then beats the goat, retrieves the empty pan and walks briskly into his house muttering under his
breath.
The next day the man again finishes his work in the fields and arrives with a pan to milk
the goat. High up in a tree, the monkey watches the process and when the man
has placed the milk in the shade to cool and gone back in the house, the monkey descends the tree and heads for the milk pan. As in the previous day, the monkey drinks most of the milk, splashes some milk on
the goats face and spills the rest on the ground.
When the man returns to claim the milk, he sees the scene of the previous day repeated before him. He becomes furious and beats the goat before storming into the house.
(adaptation of a Sufi story)
]]]]]
The first question that
arises from this story is "How long will the man beat the goat before the monkey stops stealing the milk?"
The second question is "What are the names of the
characters in the story?"
The third question you must discover on your own.
[If you want to try your hand at answering the questions, send me an email with your interpretation
and we can compare notes.]
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