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.
Meanings of Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
The poem “Jabberwocky” shows its true meaning which is nonsense. However, in the garb of killing Jabberwocky, Carroll presents the moral choice of good versus evil in a ballad style. Therefore, its main idea is the morality of good against evil.
Meanings of Stanza -1
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
In this non-sensical poem, Lewis Carroll presents this stanza starting with the use of coined words showing different meanings through their sounds. This mimsy works wonder in that it seems quite right to paraphrase it as the time is 4 o’clock in the afternoon, that slimy toves start boring holes by the side of a hill by gyring around. When this happens, the borogoves feel miserable and lost raths whistles. The meanings become clear with the explanation of the portmanteau such as jabberwocky means nonsensible word, brilling means the time of broiling such as 4 o’clock, slithy is a combination of lithe and slimy, tove is a type of badger and wabe means the wet side of a hill. These meanings show that when the badgers start digging the wet side of the hill, the birds and other creatures feel threatened and make a lot of noise at this havoc created by the badgers. The stanza supports the main idea that when evil things happen, they cause discomfort for others.
Meanings of Stanza -2
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
The speaker of the poem warns his son of the Jabberwock, saying that these creatures have strong jaws and strong claws that they use to bite and catch. Then the speaker states that the bird, the Jubjub, appears at night that the son must be aware of and shun Bandersnatch, another animal that gets furious easily. All these creatures represent evil that the son must shun or avoid to have a sense of good. Carroll continues creating portmanteaus in this stanza which further contributes to the overall meaning of the poem about good against evil.
Meanings of Stanza -3
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.
The speaker states that his son was hunting all of these creatures with his sharp sword. He tried to find out the animal that he was after and took some rest against a tree. When he did not find anything, he took some time and thought about the animal with his likely choice of hunting it. This stanza further contributes to the overall meaning of the poem by showing how the speaker has made his son shun these dangerous creatures, representing evil.
Meanings of Stanza -4
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
The speaker now presents the Jabberwock animal, saying that it came flying toward his son after having a sudden thought. His eyes were burning, and it was full of anger. It flew through the entangled wood creating a sort of noise that made when going fast. This shows how this animal represents evil. Although Carroll continues creating portmanteau words, the meanings are clear within the given context. This stanza further contributes to the meaning of the poem by showing that the animal is evil and that the son of the speaker is here to end this evil.
Meanings of Stanza -5
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.
This stanza presents the final battle between the son of the speaker and the Jabberwock. It shows that by counting one and two, the son moves his vorpal or sharp sword on the Jabberwock that cuts it into pieces. There it was, lying dead with its head separated, yet it was running back. Carroll has again used portmanteau words, but again the theme of good versus evil is clear. The son, representing the forces of good, finally leaped on the evil animal and forced it back to the wood by injuring it.
Meanings of Stanza -6
‘And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’
He chortled in his joy.
The speaker opens his arms to his son, calling him a “beamish boy” to appreciate his skills in killing the Jabberwock. First, he asks him a rhetorical question and, before he responds, calls him to hug him. Then he uses a celebratory portmanteau to show his excitement and jumps with happiness over this exploit of his son. This stanza completes the main idea of the poem that the good has dominated the evil through the son of the speaker, who kills the representative of evil, the Jabberwock.
Summary of Jabberwocky
- Popularity of the Poem, “Jabberwocky”: This poem was written by Lewis Carroll, one of the greatest English writers. ‘Jabberwocky’ is one of the greatest literary pieces and is also known as a nonsensical poem. It first appeared in 1871 in the novel Through the Looking Glass, a sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The poem comprises the bravery of a young boy who faces an evil dragon-like creature and wins the battle. The poem grabs attention due to the creative invention of new words and phrases.
- “Jabberwocky” As a Representative of Courage: The poem presents the parental love and courage of a young boy. The poem starts when the father of the boy hears some strange noises, and he warns his son about the strange creatures that live in dense wood along with other strange creatures. The son, in response, takes out his sword and sets off in search of those dangerous creatures. After some search, he not only finds them but also fights them. He returns with the head of Jabberwocky in his hand. On seeing this, the father praises his son and celebrates his victory. Thus, their lives get back to a normal pace. However, what enchants the reader is the strength of the boy who courageously faces evil by leaving his fears behind.
- Major Themes in “Jabberwocky”: Courage, love, and good versus evil are the major themes of the poem. The poem revolves around the heroic victory of the boy who risks his life to kill Jabberwocky. Although his father warns him about the evil creature, the boy musters up the courage to eradicate evil from the world.
Analysis of Literary Devices in “Jabberwocky”
literary devices are tools used to make the texts understandable for the readers. They also allow the readers to interpret the text in multiple ways. Lewis Carroll also employed some literary devices in this poem to express his ideas. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem is given below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /aw/ and /a/ in “The jaws that bite, the claws that catch” and the sound of /o/ in “One, two! One, two! And through and through.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a verse or clause that does not come to an end at a line break; instead, it moves over the next line. For example,
“So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /m/ in “Come to my arms, my beamish boy” and the sound of /l/ in “’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /t/ in “So rested he by the Tumtum tree” and the sound of /h/ in “Came whiffling through the tulgey wood.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “The jaws that bite, the claws that catch”; “Came whiffling through the tulgey wood” and “Came whiffling through the tulgey wood.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal meanings. ‘Vorpal sword’ symbolizes power and strength, ‘Jabberwocky’ is a symbol of evil, and ‘Jubjub bird’ is a symbol of fear.
Analysis of Poetic Devices in “Jabberwocky”
Poetic Devices refer to those techniques a poet uses to bring uniqueness in his text. The analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem is given below.
- Ballad: Ballad is a type of poem used for recitation or singing. This poem is written in the form of ballad meter and it describes the story of a brave boy.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are seven stanzas in this poem, with four lines each stanza.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here, each stanza is quatrain.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues throughout the poem.
- End Rhyme: End Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example, ‘Sought/thought’, ‘flame/came’, ‘stood/wood’ and ‘snack/back’.
- Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called refrain. The first stanza is repeated with the same words at the end of the poem. Hence, it has become a refrain.
Quotes to be Used
There are no specific lines that can be used as a quote from this poem. However, the poem can be used in humor, to learn phonic sounds, or to invent new phrases and words for fun.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”