Jack and Jill Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices (2024)

Jack and Jill

by Mother Goose

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
and Jill came tumbling after.

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Behind the Meaning of the Classic Nursery Rhyme "Jack and Jill"

Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob
With vinegar and brown paper.

Summary of Jack and Jill

• Popularity of the Poem, “Jack and Jill”: Mother Goose, a famous imaginary author of French fairy tales and nursery rhymes, wrote Jack and Jill. It is one of the famous traditional nursery rhyme attributed to her. It was published in the 18^th The poem comprises the story of Jack and Jill who are siblings. Also, in the 16^th century, Jack and Jill were often used to indicate a boy and a girl. This rhyme is taught to preprimary children in most countries. It is fun and easy to learn and also one of the few rhymes liked by the toddlers as well.
• “Jack and Jill”: As a Representative of Heroism: Two innocent children, Jack and Jill race uphill to fetch some water. They are hurt and they get treated by one of their family members. In olden days, brown paper and vinegar were used as remedies of bruises. Jack and Jill are mostly considered as a nonsensical poem or a nonsense verse. However, here Jack is shown a strong boy because he doesn’t cry. Instead, he rushes home to get his wounds treated. There are also various interpretations and versions of the rhyme. In one of the interpretations, the rhyme was an attempt to reform taxes on liquid measures.
• Major Themes in “Jack and Jill”: Adventure and heroism are the major themes of this poem. The poem presents two children performing domestic chore: getting water from the well. Jack gets injured but he quickly recovers.

Analysis of Literary Devices in “Jack and Jill”

literary devices are tools used by writers and poets to convey their emotions, feelings, and ideas to the readers. Mother Goose has also used some literary devices in this poem. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been given below.

1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make the readers perceive things with their five senses. For example, “Jack and Jill went up the hill”, “Jack fell down and broke his crown” and “Up Jack got, and home did trot.”
2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /j/ in “Jack and Jill went up the hill” and /d/ sound in “To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob”.
3. Assonance: An assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /a/ sound in “As fast as he could caper.”
4. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /l/ in “Jack and Jill went up the hill”.
5. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

“Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Jack and Jill”

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

1. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas in this poem with each comprising four lines.
2. Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here, each stanza is a quatrain.
3. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABCB rhyme scheme and this pattern is used in both stanzas.
4. End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example, “water”, “after”, “caper” and “paper.”
5. Internal Rhyme: Internal rhyme is rhyme within a line such as in the lines, “Jack and Jill went up the hill”, “and Jack fell down and broke his crown” and “To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob.” Here, “Jill”, “hill”, “mittens”, “down”, “Dob” and “nob” rhyme with each other.

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below are suitable for use while teaching phonics to the children. The repetition of some consonant sounds in the given lines would help them understand the correct pronunciation of the sounds. You may also use the lines to motivates any child who’s hurt while playing.

“Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob.”