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Olivia Roberts

Alstot

Child Literature

14 October 2019

Baa Baa Black Sheep Research Paper

Easily recognizable as a simple, yet fun tune from our childhoods, Baa Baa Black Sheep

has a meaning and history that has not caught our eyes yet. The rhyme is as followed : “Baa,

baa, black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full! One for the master, and

one for the dame, one for the little boy who lives down the lane.” Baa Baa Black Sheep

originated from wool’s history in England and is now used as a way to help kick-start a child’s

language skills.

While not made explicitly clear in the rhyme itself, Baa Baa Black Sheep is about the

history of wool and its culture in England. According to author and writer Lori Shuler McLeod,

the theme of sheep and wool in the rhyme ties back to their economic significance in medieval

England. Wool had an “enormous demand” since it could be used to make clothing, and both

English “peasants” and “landowners” alike would raise sheep (McLeod, Lori Shuler).

Essentially, wool was significant in England since it was vital to the economy. Due to its

“demand”, it was the most convenient way of making financial profit if one could provide it by

raising sheep. It is important to note that both “peasants” and “landowners”, two completely

different social classes in medieval Europe, looked to wool as a source to make wealth. One

would expect that this act of making money off of wool would be exclusive to higher social

classes, but it was instead a universal practice; further adding to the significance of sheep and
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wool in English culture. The theme of wool ties back to the rhyme, since it is literally about a

sheep’s wool being distributed among the people. While Baa Baa Black sheep has cultural

significance, some theorize that it may be referring to a specific tax that was put on wool.

According to Purdue University professors Emily Yoshikawa and Scott R. Bartholomew, it is

speculated that this rhyme was meant to be “political satire” in response to King Edward I’s “tax

on all exports on wool” in “year 1275” (Yoshikawa, Emily and Bartholomew, Scott R.). Taking

into context that wool was vital to the economy and that the tax took place in “year 1275”, the

medieval era, it is not hard to imagine that a majority of the lower class could not afford the tax

in the first place. Looking at the rhyme itself, there are three people receiving wool : a master, a

dame, and a little boy. All of these people are referencing different social classes, and it was

likely included to highlight the fact that everyone should get an equal amount of wool, which

would not be possible if a tax was placed. Baa Baa Black Sheep, culturally, was about the vitality

of wool in the English economy and was most likely created when the public was outraged about

its taxation in 1275.

Furthermore, the rhyme is beneficial for the development of a child’s language skills.

According to educator Gretchen Bernabei in the article, ​5 Ways That Nursery Rhymes can

Prepare Our Kids for Life​, states that nursery rhymes in general are good stepping stones for

language and speaking. Bernabei argues that “organizing language” in our rhymes “offers us a

[...] beginning” in terms of comprehending our speech (Bernabei, Gretchen). Using simple

sentences that are easy to digest is best for a young child since it acts as this “beginning” that

Bernabei is referring to. Children should start with learning basic sentences so as they learn, their

use of language will gradually become more diverse. Baa Baa Black Sheep acts as a perfect
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stepping stool into a child’s language world. Its sentences are repetitive and very simple, making

it easy for a very young child to comprehend them. Additionally, author Allen Campbell

supports the idea that Baa Baa Black Sheep is beneficial to a child’s language development in his

article, ​Baa Baa Black Sheep in the Classroom.​ He claims that “language patterns” and “rhythm”

will help with “cognitive skills” as well as “memorizing words” (Campbell, Allen). The use of

“language patterns” would be beneficial to a child’s development because repetitive sentence

structure will help a child to remember them well. The basic “rhythm” of the rhyme can help

children predict words and memorize the lyrics. This is exactly what Baa Baa Black Sheep is

structured to be; repetitive, predictable, and easy to follow. Children can easily turn back to this

rhyme to help them remember the words they learned and how to copy its sentence structure as

they start understanding language.

The classic nursery rhyme, Baa Baa Black Sheep, originated from the culture of wool in

England and helps introduce a child to language. The theme of wool in the rhyme ties back to its

economic significance in medieval England, and was most likely to have been created out of

frustration in response to its taxation. The rhyme is also recommended as a stepping stool for a

child’s language, as its repetition of sentence structure and predictable words helps a child

understand them better. In conclusion, Baa Baa Black Sheep has been turned into a fun but

helpful rhyme for young children despite its political intentions in history.
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Works Cited

Bernabei, Gretchen. “5 Ways That Nursery Rhymes Can Prepare Our Kids for Life.”

WeAreTeachers​, 20 Nov. 2017,

https://www.weareteachers.com/nursery-rhyme-lessons-writing/.

Campbell, Allen. “Baa Baa Black Sheep in the Classroom.” ​Nursery Rhymes For Babies,​ 26

Oct. 2017, http://nurseryrhymesforbabies.com/the-baa-baa-black-sheep-in-the-classroom/.

McLeod, Lori Shuler. “The History and Origins of Nursery Rhymes in Britain.” ​Historic UK​,

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/More-Nursery-Rhymes/.

Yoshikawa, Emily, and Scott R. Bartholomew. “STEM Children’s Rhymes: STEM Baa Baa

Black Sheep.” ​Education Research Complete​, 1 Mar. 2018,

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ds/ContentServer.pdf.