Sunday, May 11, 2008

Humour of Norval Morrisseau (Part I)

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"English history through the Art of Norval Morrisseau"
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"Three blind mice", 12"x20", © 1972 Norval Morrisseau /Private Collection/


Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?
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The origin of the words to the Three blind mice rhyme are based in English history. The 'farmer's wife' refers to the daughter of King Henry VIII, Queen Mary I. Mary was a staunch Catholic and her violent persecution of Protestants led to the nickname of 'Bloody Mary'. The reference to 'farmer's wife' in Three blind mice refers to the massive estates which she, and her husband King Philip of Spain, possessed. The 'three blind mice' were three noblemen who adhered to the Protestant faith who were convicted of plotting against the Queen - she did not have them dismembered and blinded as inferred in Three blind mice - but she did have them burnt at the stake!
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I checked out the the Harriet and Reid postings and the lovely 3 blind mice that you posted over the past few days. The 3 blind mice was a real masterpiece presentation. The history behind
the fable posted will be picked up by history teachers to implant a memory link for that period. I hope readers will think twice in the future about downgrading the information and teaching aspect of your blog.

Barbarosa