Jabberwocky
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[alert-success] Sixth Semester – Fantasy Literature [/alert-success]
Introduction
Jabberwocky is a famous poem written by Lewis Carroll. It was first published in 1871 in his novel Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, which is a sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This poem is known all over the world because it uses nonsense words in a very clever and creative way.
The Story in the Poem
Jabberwocky is about a young boy who goes on a quest. His father warns him about three dangerous creatures: the Jabberwock, the Jubjub bird, and the Bandersnatch. The father tells the boy to be careful. But the boy is brave. He takes his vorpal sword (a magical sword) and goes into the forest to find the Jabberwock.
The boy meets the terrible Jabberwock. They fight, and the boy kills the monster with his sword. Then he goes back to his father, who is very happy and proud. The poem ends the same way it begins, with strange and playful words.
Use of Nonsense Words
One of the most interesting things about Jabberwocky is that many of the words do not exist in the English language. For example, words like brillig, slithy, and tove are invented by the poet. Even though we don’t know exactly what these words mean, we can guess their meaning based on how they sound or where they appear in the sentence.
These words are called portmanteau words, which means they are made by combining two other words. For example:
Carroll shows that even nonsense can have meaning if it is written in a smart and creative way.
Themes
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Good vs Evil: The brave boy fights and defeats an evil monster.
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Courage and Heroism: The boy is not afraid. He goes alone into the forest to do a dangerous job.
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Victory and Celebration: After killing the Jabberwock, the boy comes home and is praised by his father.
Sound and Rhythm
The poem has a strong rhythm and rhyme scheme, which makes it fun to read. It follows the ABAB rhyme pattern in each stanza. The poem also uses a lot of alliteration (repeating the same sounds), which adds to its magical feel. For example:
“He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought”
Jabberwocky expresses a vivid sense of imagination and challenges how we think about language.
Conclusion
Jabberwocky is a brilliant and fun poem that takes readers into a strange, fantasy world. Lewis Carroll used his imagination to create a new kind of poetry where nonsense words still make perfect sense. The poem teaches us that with creativity, even made-up words can tell a brave and beautiful story.
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Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
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