Tuesday, December 5, 2017

In the book We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson, what do the children sing songs about?

"Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea?Oh no, said Merricat, you'll poison me.Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep?Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!"


Most of the Blackwood family had been murdered (poisoned with arsenic) and the townspeople were pretty sure Constance had done it. The town collectively shunned the remaining Blackwoods, Merricat, Constance and Julian. The arsenic was in a bowl of sugar. Constance...

"Merricat, said Connie, would you like a cup of tea?
Oh no, said Merricat, you'll poison me.
Merricat, said Connie, would you like to go to sleep?
Down in the boneyard ten feet deep!"


Most of the Blackwood family had been murdered (poisoned with arsenic) and the townspeople were pretty sure Constance had done it. The town collectively shunned the remaining Blackwoods, Merricat, Constance and Julian. The arsenic was in a bowl of sugar. Constance ate berries at that meal and didn't put sugar on them; Merricat was sent to her room as punishment for something and she didn't eat any either. Julian had some sugar, but just a little and he survived.


Merricat, the only surviving Blackwood to go into town for groceries and errands, would be taunted by local children with the above rhyme. Later, when somebody sets their house on fire to unsuccessfully drive them out of the town, most kids stop the taunting (one tries, but can't remember the rhyme correctly) and the villagers begin to leave food on their doorstep as a form of apology or appeasement.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, and Falling Action of "One Thousand Dollars"?

Exposition A "decidedly amused" Bobby Gillian leaves the offices of Tolman & Sharp where he is given an envelope containing $1...