Ours used to go: Ring around the rosies Pocket full of posies Upstairs, downstairs, We all fall down No sneezing noises or ashes or hushing, none of that. Our version certainly sounds like it could relate to the plague...
The "upstairs, downstairs" could mean that masters and servants were equally effected. (I just finished watching Season Two of Downton Abbey, so my mind is centered on that aspect of society right now, lol!)
This subject of children's stories... One of my favorites when I was a child was Little Black Sambo. I've not seen it around in quite some time, and supposedly the idea is that it's racist. ... ? OF COURSE he's black. He's either Indian or African, depending on which artwork was in the version of the story you read. I've always admired his intelligence and creativity in defeating a tiger who wanted his fine clothes Sam's mother had made for him, getting his clothes back and making the tiger into striped pancakes! I don't see a thing racist about it.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! That was one of my favorite stories as a kid! Mom would read it all the time to me and my brother!!! And I looked at it the same way you did...a creative little boy that outsmarted the tiger!
The original artwork was racist, though the story itself wasn't. Sambo was supposed to be Indian, but the art used minstral imagery with exaggerated red lips, blacker than black skin, white eyes, and a huge smile. It was a way for the dominant white culture at the time to demean black people and make them childish and "funny" instead of threatening. For what it's worth, most of this minstral art wasn't created with conscious malice. Artists at the time thought the "Mammy" and "Sambo" characters were cute. It was part of their culture, and considered to be harmless. But it wasn't. And "Sambo" itself came to be seen as an offensive word for a foolish and stupid black person, which cause no end of problems for a restaurant chain named Sambo's (founded by two men named Sam and Bo). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo's Original art: Several modern artists have done a fine job of rescuing Little Sambo, and allow his story to shine without the use of archaic and hurtful stereotypes... I've always been interested in the story of Little Black Sambo, as it was one of my favourite books growing up!
The middle one I believe is what I remember from my childhood. Unfortunately, the damage is done, and the story itself has become so politically incorrect that it's almost impossible to find.
Actually there's plenty of different editions currently available at Amazon.com. I'd personally recommend "The Story of Little Babaji" as it brings Sambo back to his native India and changes the names of the characters so you don't risk having your toddler point at a black child and exclaim "SAMBO!" http://www.amazon.com/Story-Little-Babaji-Helen-Bannerman/dp/0060080930/
No. Now they'll point at an Indian child and call HIM Sambo! And where I live, it's a very real possibility!
No, they'd call him Babaji! The names have all been changed, and the word "Sambo" doesn't show up anywhere in the book. It should be pretty safe! (No more dangerous than any other book featuring children from other countries, anyway.)
For me, this is an example of a sensible change. No matter what emotional attachment we may have to a book from childhood, why propagate prejudices from the past and cause resentment? Retain the courage of the character while being respectful to other people and cultures. If I was Indian and my grandparents had faced the arrogance and dismissiveness of the British in India, I would be pleased with this development.
Personally, I think just about every book can be considered politically incorrect for one reason or another. Which was the premise of Fahrenheit 451.
