Activity

“The Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll, holds many linguistic tools. The structure of each quatrain is as follows: ABAB, ABAB, ABCB, ABAB, ABCB, ABCB, and ABAB. Sometimes the lines have rhyming components within themselves: He left it dead, and with his head”. There also is use of metaphors “The Jabberwock, with eyes of flames”. The poet and the speakers alternate is this work. The tone seems to be neutral, because it is telling a whimsical story is poem form. Some of the language used is confusing because not often does it find its way into the American vocabulary. Here is a list of definitions for words that are used in “The Jabberwocky”:
Bandersnatch – A swift moving creature with snapping jaws. Capable of extending its neck.
Borogove – A thin shabby-looking bird with its feathers sticking out all round.
Brillig – Four o'clock in the afternoon.
Burbled – Possibly a mixture of "bleat", "murmur", and "warble".
Chortled - Combination of chuckle and snort.
Frabjous - Probably a blend of fair, fabulous, and joyous .
Frumious – Combination of "fuming" and "furious."
Galumphing - Perhaps a blend of "gallop" and "triumphant."
Gimble – To make holes like a gimlet.
Gyre – To go round and round like a gyroscope.
Jubjub – A desperate bird that lives in perpetual passion.
Manxome – Combination of "monstrous" and "fearsome", or possibly "manly" and "buxom". Possibly related to the Manx cat.
Mimsy – Combination of "miserable" and "flimsy."
Mome – Possibly short for "from home," meaning that the raths had lost their way.
Outgrabe) – Something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the middle.
Rath – A sort of green pig.
Slithy – Combination of "slimy" and "lithe."
Toves – A combination of a badger, a lizard, and a corkscrew. They are very curious looking creatures which make their nests under sundials. They live on cheese. Pronounced so as to rhyme with groves.
Uffish – A state of mind when the voice is gruffish
Wabe – The grass plot around a sundial.

To really understand what these words mean, you would probably have had to ask Lewis Carroll. Some of the words Lewis Carroll used are made up. It is like she made the poem just for herself. She relies heavily on pormanteaus, which are words combined together in order to use the meaning of both words. I would call this a nonsense poem.