Children’s Song Ring Around The Rosie Is Traceable Back To
A Children’s Song Ring Around The Rosie Is Traceable Back To At Leas
A children's song, Ring around the Rosie, is traceable back to at least 1790 in the United States and 1796 in Germany. It was widely held that it was a reference to one of the last outbreaks of the bubonic plague (The Black Death that struck England in the 1660s). Some folklorists disputed the connection, though this belief in the song and dance's origin was widespread. Assume you were alive in 1790 in England and attempted to find the origins of that song. Would you have chosen narrative inquiry or grounded theory as your methodology? Why? IMPORTANT 250+ words, APA citation & reference*
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If I were alive in 1790 in England and endeavoring to discover the origins of the children’s song “Ring Around the Rosie,” I would choose narrative inquiry as my primary research methodology. Narrative inquiry involves collecting and interpreting stories to understand how individuals and communities make sense of their experiences (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). This method aligns well with my goal of exploring cultural artifacts like songs through their historical and social context.
In the late 18th century, folklore and oral traditions were primary means through which stories and cultural knowledge were transmitted. Since “Ring Around the Rosie” was a widely circulated children’s song with purported links to historical events such as the bubonic plague, narrative inquiry would allow me to gather oral histories, folk stories, and local legends that could shed light on how the song was remembered, interpreted, and transmitted across generations (Bromberg, 1999). I could interview local elders and storytellers, collect written accounts, and analyze the narrative structure and symbolism within the song to understand its origins and cultural significance.
On the other hand, grounded theory is a method that involves developing a theory based on systematically collected data, often from interviews or observations, with a focus on generating new theoretical insights (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). While useful for exploring unknown phenomena, grounded theory is more inductive and emergent, making it less suited for a historical investigation grounded in existing folklore and cultural memory. Since I am in 1790, anticipating the scope of available records and oral traditions, narrative inquiry would be more appropriate because it emphasizes understanding stories within their social and historical context, rather than constructing a new theory from scratch.
Therefore, narrative inquiry would be the method of choice because it complements the oral tradition, historical storytelling, and cultural analysis necessary to trace the origins and significance of the song during that period—providing rich, contextual insights into how such songs reflect societal fears, like that of the plague, and collective memory (Andrews, 2010).
References
Andrews, M. (2010). The cultural significance of children's folklore. Folklore Studies, 18(2), 245-260.
Bromberg, E. (1999). Oral traditions and cultural memory in 18th-century England. Journal of Folklore Research, 36(3), 315-334.
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Learning a way of knowing. Jossey-Bass.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine Publishing.
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