This is a nursery-rhyme poem that children used to sing, ending the way Mr. Charrington here describes. The poem in its entirety went like this:
"'Oranges and lemons,' say the bells of St. Clement's.
'You owe me five farthings,' say the bells of St. Martin's.
'When will you pay me?' say the bells of Old Bailey.
'When I grow rich,' say the bells of Shoreditch.
'When will that be?' say the bells of Stepney.
'I do now know,' say the great bells of Bow.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
Chip chop chip chop--the last man's dead."
The poem refers to the execution of debtors, hence the "When will you pay me?" and the "chopper to chop off your head." The rhyme depicts something seemingly nice and good, churches and a "candle to light you to bed," that ends up being something sinister--angry debtors with a "chopper to chop off your head." This is a direct reference to Big Brother and even the room in which this rhyme is first heard, that Julia and Winston stay in and are caught in. The society seems like a good one at first, before its faults are revealed and it becomes repressive and scary. Mr. Charrington seemed like a good man until he helped Big Brother to catch Julia and Winston and throw them in jail.
why does Orwell choose a child's rhyme? Could there be a connect between this purpose here and your other discussion of children in the above entry?
ReplyDeleteI think he chooses a nursery rhyme because, like all other memories that Winston tries to piece together in the story, they're from a long time ago.
Deletei dont understand the part of chopping of your head
ReplyDeleteMr Charringtone obviosly know all the rhyme, however, he doesn't tell Winsotn the last phrase, which says" Chip chop chip chop--the last man's dead." He is referring to Winston, giving him a foreshadow of what will happen later, Winston will understand this foreshadow only when he is about to die, which, as you probably know, never because he doesn't die at all.
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