Jabberwocky

"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll is a brilliant nonsense poem. It tells the story of one person’s quest to slay the Jabberwock and the incredible creatures they meet along the way. The poem "Jabberwocky" has seven stanzas and is composed of quatrains, which are groups of four lines. The rhyme system, which consistently repeats the pattern ABAB CDCD while modifying the end sounds as Carroll deemed appropriate, gives it structure. The straightforward and reliable rhyme pattern stands out in stark contrast to the poem's text's elaborate and outlandish words and visuals. The meter is also not too complicated. In iambic tetrameter, the majority of the lines are written. This indicates that there are four sets of two beats in each line. Both of these are under stress, yet only the first is.

The speaker describes a scene in the opening lines of the poem using weird and unfamiliar terms. "Toves," "borogoves," and "raths" exist. These things generate a variety of noises and travel through the landscape in various ways. They exist in an universe that is entirely distinct from our own. The tale is interrupted by a speaker telling his kid to watch out for the "Jabberwock" in the following words. It is equipped with "claws that capture" and "jaws that bite." The son is going in search of this animal. He has his "vorpal sword" ready, but it takes him a while to locate it. The Jabberwock eventually appears as he takes a rest.

Poet: Lewis Carroll
Published: 1871