JABBERWOCKY
- SHARIFAH NUR ATIQAH SUFI SYED ABDUL RAZAK
- Sep 6, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 25, 2020
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.
Description of The Poem
In "Jabberwocky," Carroll uses nonsensical words throughout a typical ballad form to tell a tale of good versus evil, which culminates in the killing of the fearsome Jabberwock.
Summary
At the beginning of the poem, one afternoon, some peculiar creatures were making noises. Because of the noises that they heard, a father warns his son about an existence of a creature called ‘Jabberwocky’ which has terrible teeth and claws. The father informs the son that the strange creatures live in the thick woods. ‘Jubjub bird’ and ‘Bandersnatch’ are also the strange creatures that reside in the dreadful forest. Therefore, the son, along with his sword set off a search to find those strange creatures. From the search, the son found the creatures and killed it. The son returned with pride as he grasp the head of Jabberwocky in his hand. The father is filled with joy to find out about his son's bravery. As a result, they celebrated their victory in fighting against those creatures. In the end, everything came back to normal and was at peace after the killing of Jabberwocky.
Themes
Courage, love, & good versus evil
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.
Settings
Wet hill
There are several strange animals described in the first stanza , and we know that they are close to a wet hill.
Forest
We can also assume that the hero navigates a forest or wooded area because he rests by a "Tumtum tree" and the Jabberwock appears from a "tulgey wood."
Values
Love
This is shown when the hero's father warns his own son early on to "beware" three mysterious beasts which are the "Jabberwock," the "Jubjub bird," and the "Bandersnatch". Love is shown between our loved ones when we care and remind one another always.
Courage
A heroic boy who risked his life to kill Jabberwocky. Although his father warned him about the evil creature, the boy uses his full courage to eradicate evil from the world.
Reference
Comments