Hey, Diddle, Diddle

Hey, Diddle, Diddle
by Mother Goose

Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Summary of Hey, Diddle, Diddle
Popularity of “Hey, Diddle, Diddle”: This short poem was written by Mother Goose, a famous imaginary writer of French fairy tales and many famous nursery rhymes. It was first published in 1587. This poem is famous nursery rhyme in English literature about the play of innocent animals. The poem contains a fantasy rhyme intended to please children with highly effective imaginary images. For example, "jumping on the moon" is taken literally and also means that the cow was very excited. The poem is famous even after so many years of publication and is still read and taught in various preschool curricula around the world.
"Hey, Diddle, Diddle" representing the miracle: this poem was written to amuse the young minds Although the content of the poem is childish, the powerful imagery made reading a pleasure. The author introduced many characters in this short poem, such as a cat playing a violin, a dish that runs away with a spoon, Mparisons used in the poem don't make any literal sense. However, it has been interpreted in different ways. According to some, it was written to portray the dark relationship between Queen Elizabeth, Lady Katherine Gray, and their relationships with Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, in the 16th century. Some others believe that the poem captures the glimpses of certain nights when many constellations appear to be close to the moon.
Main themes in "Hey, Diddle, Diddle": Wonder and surprise are the main themes of this poem. The poet deliberately inserted unique images that inspire happiness to young people. Although it is impossible for a cow to jump over the moon and run away from a dish with a spoon, its appropriate use makes children laugh at these strange events.
Analysis of the literary devices used In "Hey, Diddle, Diddle" are
Literary- Devices Tools with which authors can present their ideas, emotions and feelings in convincing language. Mother Goose has also used some literary de vices in this poem to make it catchy for children. Analysis of some of the literary means used in this poem is given below.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of the vowels on the same line as the sound of / i / in "Hey, diddle, diddle" and the sound of / a / in "Die Cat and the violin ".
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the / l / sound in “Hey, diddle, diddle.”
Image: Images are used to make readers perceive things that involve their five senses. For example, "He the cow jumped over the moon"; "The little dog laughed" and "And the plate escaped with the spoon."
Personification: Personification is giving human qualities to inanimate objects. For example, “The puppy laughed” and “And the plate escaped with the spoon. "It seems as if the dog and the plate are humans who can perform a certain action.
Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer exaggerates. For example," The cow jumped over the moon "in which a cow actually do not jump over the moon. Therefore, it is hyperbole.
Enjambment: Defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end in a line break, instead it goes to the next line. For example
"The little dog laughed
To see such a sport."

Analyze poetic devices in "Hey, Diddle, Diddle",
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but some are only used in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic means used in this poem

Strophe: A stanza is a poetic form of a few lines. There is only one stanza in this poem which consists of six lines.
Sestet: A sestet is a six line stanza or the last six lines of a sonnet There is only one sestet to be used in this poem
1. The lines mentioned above can be used to teach phonics to children. The repetition of / t / and / d / in the given lines would help them understand the correct pronunciation of the sounds.

“Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the violin,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed. ”

2. The lines below can be used to describe a dog's play activities.
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