London Bridge Is Falling Down

London Bridge Is Falling Down

Nursery Rhyme

London Bridge Is Falling Down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge Is Falling Down,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair Lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair Lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair Lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair Lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away,
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
My fair Lady.

Set a man to watch all nigh,
Watch all night, watch all night,
Set a man to watch all night,
My fair Lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep,
Suppose the man should fall asleep?
My fair Lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
Smoke all night, smoke all night,
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
My fair Lady.

Summary of London Bridge Is Falling Down

  • Popularity of “London Bridge Is Falling Down”: Written by an anonymous 18th-century writer, this beautiful nursery rhyme seemed to have emerged in England in the late 18th. Following this, it has crept into the public psyche and has won polarity sheer by its rhyme scheme and thematic strand. The lyrics raise a host of questions about its interpretations and theories. However, its popularity has now crossed boundaries, and it is read across the globe on account of its ideas.
  • London Bridge Is Falling Down” As a Representative of Traditional Children”s Song: With the constant refrain of “London Bridge is Falling Down,” this beautiful nursery rhyme enumerates various methods and materials used in the construction of the landmark place of London, the London Bridge. The suggestions of different materials to use in its construction, such as wood, clay, or brick and mortar, have their weak and strong points. The change from the first to the second argument is due to the progress and development in the construction industry and their impact on buildings and landmarks. However, the last suggestion of building it with precious metals and then keeping a watch on it rather makes it somewhat funny, though it still seems to suggest that the poet is rather proposing new things to keep her beauty intact in the garb of suggestions for the construction of the landmark. It could be that the poet is calling the bridge a fair lady.
  • Major Themes in “London Bridge Is Falling Down”: Construction of the bridge, progress, and national pride over landmarks are three major themes of the nursery rhyme. It implicitly makes the children learn how national landmarks keep a tab on the national heartbeat and continue reverberating in the hearts of the people. The anonymous poet has beautifully rhymed verses with the London Bridge to remind the children and inculcate in their minds that the construction of the bridge is not just an act of construction. Rather, it is a sign of a nation having such landmarks. But again, the poet seems to say that this is constantly undergoing a transformative process, and the idea of keeping a strict watch on the national wealth is infused in it. That is why these landmarks have become a source of national pride.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in London Bridge Is Falling Down

The anonymous poet has used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are analyzed below.

  1. Allusion: It means to use references from society, history, or culture to stress upon the main idea. The poet used the allusion to London Bridge directly and to London indirectly.
  2. Alliteration: It means to use initial consonants in successive words. The poem shows the use of consonant sounds, such as /w/ in “with wood.”
  3. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ and /o/ in “Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar” and the sound of /a/ and /o/ in “Wood and clay, wood and clay.”
  4. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /f/ and /d/ in “Falling down, falling down” and the sound of /b/ and /r/ in “Build it up with bricks and mortar.”
  5. Hyperbole: It means to exaggerate things. The suggestion that building the bridge with “silver and gold” would be a solution is an example of hyperbole.
  6. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The anonymous poet used imagery in this poem, such as “Build it up with bricks and mortar”, “Build it up with iron and steel” and “Iron and steel will bend and bow.”
  7. The fact that none of the materials mentioned in the poem will work to keep the bridge standing is an example of irony.
  8. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. London Bridge is compared to a woman, “my fair lady.”
  9. Personification: It means to attribute human emotions to inanimate objects. Personification: “Wood and clay will wash away” is an example of personification, giving inanimate objects the ability to act like humans.
  10. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such bridge showing the power and endurance of the city of London.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in London Bridge Is Falling Down

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  1. Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal, poetic, and melodic diction.
  2. End Rhyme: It means to use verses having matching end words. The poem “London Bridge Is Falling Down” features end rhyme, with the last word in the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyming with “Lady” at the end of the stanza.
  3. Quatrain: It is a Persian stanza having four verses. The poem shows the use of a quatrain such as the first stanza.
  4. Rhyme Scheme: The poem features an AAAB rhyme scheme, with “fair lady” appearing at the end of each stanza.
  5. Repetition: It means to repeat words or phrases for impact. The repetition of the phrase “falling down” is an example of repetition.
  6. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are 12 stanzas, with each having four verses.
  7. Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows an exciting, thrilling, and nationalistic tone.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when talking about fear and making suppositions.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep,
Suppose the man should fall asleep?
My fair Lady.