Diction, Connotation, and Portmanteaus Words Convey Meaning in The Jabberwocky
Lewis Carroll's poem "The Jabberwocky," means something different to each of its readers. Lewis's use of diction, connotation, and portmanteaus words help the reader build their own personal understanding and meaning of the poem.
'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 arm, 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 "It seems very pretty, but it's rather hard to understand. . .Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas only I don't exactly know what they are!" was Alice's reaction (of Alice in Wonderland) after reading Lewis Carroll's poem "The Jabberwocky." Alice's response to this poem was not an uncommon one; there are very few ...
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...For example, "slithy" means both lithe and slimy; "mimsy" means both flimsy and miserable. There are enough of these multiple meaning expressions to create a type of word labyrinth.
Some say there is only one correct meaning to a poem. However, before one makes this claim, they must understand the word "meaning." Edgar Roberts and Henry Jacobs, authors of Literature, An Introduction to Reading and Writing, define meaning as: "The combination of a poem's theme, its emotional impact, and the experience it creates for the reader." This clashes with the theory that says a poem has a single correct meaning. Each person has a unique personality which will result in varying perspectives. Lewis Carroll may have intended his poem to be interpreted one way, but the poem impacts each of us differently based on our emotional and intellectual makeup.
Many books have led children to believe Columbus discovered America. Myint discovers “Leif Eriksson is the first European believed to have sailed to North America, having reached Canada 500 years before Columbus set sail to the west.” (Myint, 2015, Para. 2). Columbus did not plan to reach America; the voyage was to reach Asia. It is also believed Columbus set sail to prove the world was round. This is dismissed by Myint as “it was an idea that had been established by the Ancient Greeks in the 5th Century BC.” (Myint, 2015, Para. 4). Historians fail to provide these facts; this creates a false image of Columbus in a child’s
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
It takes the reader to an imaginary world on an adventure where a father tells his young son to beware of the creatures in the forest, sending him off on a journey to kill the Jabberwock, which through the imagery and the nonsense words appears to be a fire breathing dragon. This is a simple tale, told in ballad form and the rhyming and nonsense words makes it fun to read and to listen to read aloud. It is the kind of story that both children and adults can appreciate especially due to its beautiful made up language. It is a true work of art , and although written in the 1800s still fascinates both children and adults and will most likely continue to delight generations to come. It is colorful, vivid and imaginative; truly something entertaining, and pleasurable and a treasured work of
The definition of poetry, instead of becoming more selective and exact, has become a much more broad and open minded classification of literature. From It's beginning's in romanticist Puritan literature, to its more modernistic function on present society, poetry has become a way to blend the psychological side of human intellect, with the emotional side of human intuition and curiosity. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were two early poets from the late 19th century. Unlike Walt, Emily liked to write at home, she was a more secluded author who enjoyed to look out the window for inspiration. Walt on the other hand loved to travel. He found inspiration through nature and the diversity of thriving cultures throughout the world. Although these writers found inspiration from two different methods, their poems have distinct similarities in theme, images, and main ideas.
Regoli, Robert M. and John D. Hewitt, Delinquency in Society. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2000.
On January 27, 1832 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born in Daresbury, Cheshire Country, England. In 1943 his family moved to the croft Rectory in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, while he was enrolled at the Richmond public school. Three years later at the age of fourteen in the year of 1846, he went on to the Rugby school in Warwickshire. He spent three years at the school in Warwickshire and left in the year of 1849. Later he went to Oxford in 1851 and earned a B.A. with first class honors in mathematics and second class in classics in 1854. Several years later in 1857 he graduated with an M.A. finishing his studies at oxford. The year 1856 was advent of the use “Lewis Carroll” an Anglicized pseudonym, which he took to publish all his literary works. Mirroring his father’s career path, he obtained the position of Mathematical Lecturer at Oxford which he maintained from 1856 to 1881. Year 1861 he received holy orders, becoming a deacon at the Christ Church Cathedral, however he was unable to be ordained a priest due to his lack of interest in ministration. In 1865 he published the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, his most renowned literary pieces that is still talked about to this day. Four years later he published Phantasmagoria, a ten year collection of poems, and seven years after that was The Hunting of the Snark. All work associated with his knowledge of mathematics, such as Two Books of Euclid, Elementary Treatise on...
For some individuals, poetry is a form of freedom and expression. It is one of the many creative ways to release feelings of anger and happiness from the human mind. The intensity of every rhythm and word, and style of each poem allows readers to uncover deeper significance to the context. The rich variety achieved by mixing a combination of human imagination and reality to tell a story with deeper meaning is remarkable. This concept of combining poems and human imagination together was popularized by Edgar Allan Poe. Living an impoverished life, Poe penned stories of horror and mystery into collections of poems and short stories. He expressed his thoughts on paper with great thrill and excitement. Known for his wild imagination that included suspenseful, dark tales, he posed as a literary figure and inspired many across the world.
Success is a term used by almost every individual person on this green and blue planet that we call Earth. Whether it is parents, college professors, teachers, bosses, co-workers, and inspirational speakers, they all apply this word to everyday life, however what does it truly mean? Success is a noun that, by definition, stands for “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Although this is the official definition, society has a different definition for the phrase success. Society has defined the phrase success as being wealthy, having quite a few material items, having a stable well-paying job, and a healthy family as a side bonus. There are members of society
Throughout the course of literature poetry has always continued to evolve in many different themes along with the authors themselves. Time has allowed many readers to explicate the meanings of some poems and share what they think is the true meaning of it. Authors like Emily Dickinson for example had composed many poems that are discussed and analyzed today by everyday people, students, and even other authors.
Success only truly comes with being happy. Happiness and success are the accomplices of one another. Someone cannot have accompanies without the other. Happiness brings success, and success brings even more happiness. Success, in the dictionary, is defined as the achievement of something desired planned or attempted. Therefore, success cannot be judged by anyone than oneself. It is a personal thing. It is the realization of goals, desires or plans made by one 's self. It is not measurable and yet is something we always use to compare others or appraise someone 's worth. Success, in one form or another, is something that someone should always be striving for. For some people it is something they will do subconsciously, and for others it will be something they will constantly labor for. Because success is something that is different for everyone, it is best that they measure their personal success by their sense of self worth instead of others. To have succeeded is to have lived, as someone wanted; ' it is to have lived well and laughed
Hickey, T.J. (2010) Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Crime and Criminology, 9th Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
When reading or listening to poetry, the main objective for me is to feel moved. Happiness, longing, sadness are some of the feelings that can be achieved just by listening to others’ words. It is within these words that creates another world, or separates us from our own. Words all have a certain kind of attachment to them, so if used properly an author can stimulate a reader beyond belief.
This theory was based on multiple factors such as social class, age, race, and location, and how these factors influenced the amount of crime within a geographical location. In her Chancellor 's Scholars Council of Pembroke State University thesis, LEARNING TO BE DEVIANT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, scholar Sandra K. Holland states,
For a small poem, “The Red Wheelbarrow,” by William Carlos Williams, has a great meaning behind it. This poem uses images, symbolism, and form to get the entire picture of the poem across. Meyers defines images, ”as a word, phrase, or figure of speech that addresses the senses, suggesting mental pictures of sight and sounds, smells, tastes, feelings or actions.” (Meyer 1593). Symbolism is, “ a person, object, image, word, or event that evokes a range of additional meaning beyond and usually more abstract than it’s literal significance.” (Meyer 1604). Then there is form, “images and symbolism, as the overall structure or shape of a work which frequently an established design.” (Meyer 1591). Williams uses images, symbolism and form to catch ones attention, tell a simple story, and tell a greater story behind it all.
According to Webster's Dictionary, poetry is defined as "writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm." While this is the technical definition of poetry many writers attempted to further describe what poetry is. There are many contradicting views and no one can agree what is the essence of poetry. Some poets think that poetry is the expression of emotions and rules do not matter, while other poets suggest the poetry is all about the rules and the rhythm that must be followed. The perfect mix to define poetry is somewhere in between.