Page 190 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

“Jabberwocky”
by Lewis Carroll, pages 71-72

Vocabulary
bryllyg – The time of broiling dinner, i.e. the close of the afternoon
slythy – smooth and active
tove – a species of Badger
gyre – to scratch like a dog
gymble – to screw out holes in anything
wabe – the side of hill
mimsy – unhappy
borogove – an extinct kind of parrot
mome – grave
rath – a land turtle
outgrabe – squeaked

1. Using the vocabulary above, write out the first stanza of the poem in a more standardized version of
English.

2. The poem is an example of nonsense poetry. The term comes from nonce, or a made-up word.
Carroll, however, claims that all the words actually have standard English roots. Choose any two of
the words above and explain what you believe their English derivatives to be.

3. What is the poetic form of “Jabberwocky”?

4. The poem makes substantial use of alliteration. Find three examples of alliteration.

5. Why do you think this poem ends with the same stanza as it began?

6. Most of the nonsense words in this poem are nouns or adjectives. Why do you think Carroll chose
to use nonsense words to replace these parts of speech in his poem?

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