Poem Essay: The Nonsense Of Jabberwocky

The Nonsense of Jabberwocky

The poem “Jabberwocky” was originally a one stanza poem. At first glance the poem makes little sense and may even have to be re-read more than once! “Jabberwocky” is designed for the unusual word choice and to have the reader to make his own sense of it.

The poem can be represented as the battle between good and evil, overcoming fear, and can even be interpreted as the dreams of a small child. The poem is viewed from a third person perspective. It begins with a man who is speaking to a boy as if to warn him. He states, “Beware the Jabberwock, my son.”( Shmoop Editorial Team). It is never revealed if the man is the father of the main protagonist, a boy. The boy is of an unknown age which further plays into the fantastical setting. After being told to beware the Jabberwock the boy sets forth on an adventure to find and ultimately slay the Jabberwock.

Lewis Carroll has used very sophisticated plays on words including the naming of various characters. “Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!"( Shmoop Editorial Team). A Jubjub bird is o...