1984 6

‘It was a church at one time. St. Clements Dane, its name was.’ He smiled apologetically as though saying something slightly ridiculous and added: ‘Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s.’...      ‘That was a rhyme we had when I was a little boy. How it goes on I don’t remember, but I do know it ended up, here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head’.” (83)

           Here, Orwell foreshadows a very importance scene later in the book. In this scene, Winston and Julia are gazing out of the window when a voice suddenly comes out of this picture of St. Clements. It is the thought police. It turns out that there had been a telescreen behind the picture the whole time. Right before the thought police seize Winston and Julia, the voice in the telescreen says, “Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head!”