Horror in Rhyme



‘There was an old lady that swallowed a fly', this in my opinion is the most memorable children's rhyme. The illustration in the book making it interactive to the reader and making it visually appealing to carry on. In the edition I remember reading, the images of each animal swallowed was seen in each ones stomachs from the old lady's. This rhyme creates horror in humour. Although, reading it when you’re young makes you laugh as she eating all these ridiculous animals as a result of swallowing a fly, the ending is very abrupt.

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There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. 
I don't know why she swallowed that fly, 
Perhaps she'll die. 
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider. 
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her. 
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. 
But I don't know why she swallowed that fly 
Perhaps she'll die. 
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird. 
How absurd, to swallow a bird! 
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider 
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her. 
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. 
But I don't know why she swallowed that fly 
Perhaps she'll die 
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat. 
Imagine that, she swallowed a cat. 
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird 
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider 
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her. 
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. 
But I don't know why she swallowed that fly 
Perhaps she'll die 
There was an old lady who swallowed a dog. 
What a hog! To swallow a dog! 
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat 
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird 
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider 
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her. 
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. 
But I don't know why she swallowed that fly 
Perhaps she'll die. 
There was an old lady who swallowed a goat. 
Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat! 
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog 
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat 
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird 
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider 
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her. 
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. 
But I don't know why she swallowed that fly 
Perhaps she'll die. 
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow. 
I don't know how she swallowed a cow! 
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat 
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog 
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat 
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird 
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider 
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her. 
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. 
But I don't know why she swallowed that fly 
Perhaps she'll die. 
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse 
She's dead, of course. 
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Now including the entire rhyme may seem completely redundant and pointless, the purpose was to spark a moment of nostalgia, and to remind you of the amount that was eaten. From a retrospective reading this could be attempting to promote healthy eating, consuming too much meat can be bad for you. Or it could be trying to create a new wave of vegetarianism, all this meat ultimately killed the old lady.
 
Growing up the concept of death is only ever thought to occur when we get old, children are sheltered from death and the fears that growing up brings. Dying from over consumption of food in this rhyme is interesting, it is expressed in a very lighthearted manner. The things the old lady is eating are ridiculous in proportion as it continues and masks her impending death extremely well. The illustration makes it comical while also demonstrating the fact that the old lady is getting larger and larger. Her death was predetermined from the beginning, making the death at the end humorous.  

Horror is subtly displayed through the animals. Her body is getting larger and we see all the animals inside each other. The animals inside her are seen as merely fulfilling singular purpose; the reason why they were swallowed. As her body grows there is a slight sense of danger and wondering ‘what animal will be next?’ Her obese stature, when studying it retrospectively is the source of horror, although she is large, it doesn't stop her from eating. The impact on her body is secondary, catching the fly, a minute thing is her main priority. The animals are the main focus and take the attention away from the danger she is inflicting on herself.


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