Christina Ricci
Lizzie Borden
Search results
A 2014 biographical drama film about Lizzie Borden, who was acquitted of the axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. The film was followed by a miniseries, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, starring Christina Ricci and Clea DuVall.
- Docudrama Slasher Mystery Biopic
Learn about the 1892 ax murders of Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother, and the controversy surrounding her trial and acquittal. Explore the theories and evidence behind the infamous case and its cultural impact.
- Summary
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Detailed Analysis
- Similar Poems
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
‘Lizzie Borden Took an Ax’ is a chilling short nursery rhymethat details the deaths of the Bordens at the hands of their daughter. The poem is only four lines long, but it captures a portion of the Lizzie Borden story (even if the details are inaccurate). In the first lines, the speaker describes Lizzie killing her mother. It uses a euphemism “gave...
‘Lizzie Borden Took an Ax’ is a four-line nursery rhyme. It follows a simple rhyme scheme of AABB. The four lines of the poem are quite short and all around the same length. They are written in iambic tetrameter. This means that each line contains four sets of two beats, the first of which is unstressed and the second of which is stressed. This hel...
Despite its brevity, there are several literary devices at work in ‘Lizzie Borden Took an Ax.’ These include but are not limited to: 1. Alliteration: occurs when the poet repeatsthe same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. For example, “when” and “what” in line three and “father” and “forty-one” in line four. 2. Allusion: a referenc...
Lines 1-2
In the first lines of ‘Lizzie Borden Took an Ax,’ the speaker begins by using the line that later came to be used as the title of the poem. The line is enjambed, meaning that readers have to move down to line two in order to find out what happens next. This works well in the transition between lines one and two, considering the content. Lizzie “took an ax” is a dramatic way to start a poem. Readers should be inspired to find out what happens next if they don’t already know. The second line de...
Lines 3-4
The third line adds to the previous. Lizzie, as if initially unaware of the terrible thing she’d done, realizes that she’s killed her “mother.” This inspires her to go ahead and give her father “forty-one.” This is a call back to the previous lines. Readers have to mentally add the word “whacks,” acknowledging that he too has passed away at her hand. Despite the fact that Lizzie was acquitted of the murders of her step-mother and father, she is to this day labeled as an ax murderer. This is s...
Readers who enjoyed ‘Lizzie Borden Took an Ax’ should also consider reading some related nursery rhymes. For example: 1. ‘Here we go round the mulberry bush’ – a rhyme and children’s circle game. It is said to have been inspired by Britain’s efforts to produce silk. 2. ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’ – could be about a Viking attack in 1014, the di...
Learn about the nursery rhyme that alludes to the murders of Lizzie Borden's step-mother and father. Discover the poem's structure, form, literary devices, and historical context.
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
Lizzie Borden was an American woman who was tried and acquitted of the axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. Learn about her early life, the crime scene, the trial, and the legacy of the Borden case in American popular culture.
Lizzie Borden Took an Ax: Directed by Nick Gomez. With Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Gregg Henry, Stephen McHattie. In 1893 Massachusetts, Lizzie Andrew Borden is put on trial for murdering her father and stepmother with an ax.
- (5.7K)
- Biography, Crime, Drama
- Nick Gomez
- 2014-01-25
May 3, 2024 · Learn how class, nativism and gender stereotypes shaped the 1892 trial of Lizzie Borden, who was accused of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet. Explore the evidence, the suspects, the verdict and the legacy of the infamous case.
Jul 15, 2024 · Lizzie Borden, American woman suspected of murdering her stepmother and father in 1892; her trial became a national sensation in the United States. An axe, the suspected murder weapon, was recovered at the crime scene, but Borden was acquitted in the ensuing trial, as the evidence against her was circumstantial.
