1984 - 11

• "There was one about four and twenty blackbirds, and another about a cow with a crumpled horn, and another about the death of poor Cock Robin." (p. 151)

Orwell alludes to the poem "Cock Robin" as Winston describes Mr. Charrington's inability to remember the extensiveness of the story. In this poem, the death of Cock Robin is declared:

Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the sparrow With my bow and arrow I killed Cock Robin.

Numerous animals gather to prepare for Cock Robin's funeral when the Bull announces:

Who'll toll the bell? I, said the bull, Because I can pull, I'll toll the bell.

'Cock Robin' appears to have many verses with small detail. The fact that Mr. Charrington cannot remember these familiar rhymes reveal his age and distorted memory of the past. Clearly the brainwashing of the Party has conquered his mind.

http://dickens.stanford.edu/archive/great/great_issue7gloss.htm
http://www.mamalisa.com/images/mother_goose/cockrobin_national.gif