Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll

JABBERWOCKY

Lewis Carroll

                       (from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)





`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, has 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.

Can you make sense of the bolded nonsense words?


Watch this video of the Jabberwock.
How can the video help you understand the meaning of the nonsense words?





OK. This is just too adorable to NOT post.  Check it out 5th graders!  




Listen to this famous storyteller, Mark Lewis, tell the story of the Jabberwocky.  





PORTMANTEAU: 

Word made by blending 2 words.

Examples:  smog- smoke and fog
blog- web and log

Can you find examples of portmanteau in Carroll's ballad?

Tell me in a comment!


SUMMARY:
What is this poem about? 
Tell me in a new post.  Label it Jabberwocky.


THEME:
What is the theme of this poem? 
Tell me in a new post.  Label it Jabberwocky.








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