Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll - a Poetry Friday post

[kellyrfineman]

First the poem, then some chat.

Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Comments

[christy_lenzi]

Ha. I think I love you. I used to recite this poem(or rather perform it--like you)to my daughter when she was *very* young and she could recite it when she was TWO (she learned to talk early and never stopped.) She was such a little pipsqueak. It was the funniest thing, because I'm sure it sounded like jabber to the uninitiated, but she had it down, even though she didn't quite know what she was saying. She even imitated my actions. Another she memorized at two was The Owl and the Pussycat. We have it on video somewhere...

I think your theory is absolutely right--"there are just so many, many words that they don't yet know the meaning of that they don't spend as much time thinking "hey! that's not a real word!" I think it's cool you perform this at schools--I can imagine the kids love it.

[kellyrfineman]

Kids DO love it. I've done it for kids as young as 1st grade, and kids in 7th as well. Because the schools "don't have time" for poetry most years, it's the first time a lot of kids have heard it, which is a complete thrill/rush for me. Of course, M almost fell off her chair laughing at me when I did it for her 7th-grade section last year, but the rest of the kids were actually kind of enthralled.

And I will spare you my (repeated) rant about why it is that schools should be adding far more poetry. But I did get my own back up just now.

[lizjonesbooks]

Oh-- thanks for posting-- I'd never seen this version! This is my all time favorite poem. My dad used to perform it for us when we were kids (hilarious!) And now I do it for mine. I once auditioned for jr. hi drama club with this one(and also Death be not Proud-- no, I have no idea why. I was a weird kid).
Now we're all hanging out checking out various versions on youtube...

[kellyrfineman]

"Death be not proud, though some have called thee/mighty and powerful, for thou art not so . . ." (At least, that's how I remember the words and the line break.) Speaking of poetry and drama (kind of), I was in a play in high school in which my character wandered around spouting Shakespeare. "Tis a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" was one of my lines. I still love those lines.

[lizjonesbooks]

That is a wonderful line indeed-- sounds like a really fun play!
And yes-- that's how the poem starts! I'd read the novel (about the boy dying of brain cancer) and loved the poem so much I decided to memorize it...

[kellyrfineman]

I really need to memorize more poems. I'm good at opening lines, but I rarely have entire poems committed to memory. Maybe I'll try for one per week this year, just to keep my brain occupied.

[redheadedali]

After watching that video, I will probably be walking around all day going, "Burble, burble. Burble, burble." :)

[kellyrfineman]

It's either that or "galumph galumph". But "Burble, burble. Burble, burble" is pretty boss.

[kellyrfineman]

The pronunciation isn't too hard, really. There's a nice recording of it with "Poetry Speaks to Children", although Dame Maggie or whomever it is does mispronounce "borogoves" by adding a second R to it. That said, the Muppets got their lines correct.

Another poem that kids really respond to, and that few have heard these days since the schools "don't have time to teach poetry" is Casey at the Bat. Pausing to ask how many men are on base, etc., is totally fine with the kids, and also makes them feel smart. But seriously, Jabberwocky makes for a killer opening if, like me, you are a ham who is unafraid to look foolish.

[lizjonesbooks]

I always thought it was borogroves too... and that manxsome was maxim.
Ah well-- too many oral versions, not enough readings!

[kellyrfineman]

The Wikipedia entry for this poem includes notes from Carroll on pronunciation of certain words - he notes that the end of "borogoves" rhymes with "groves". So there is that.

[kellyrfineman]

HA! In isolation that line does look pretty damn funny, but I never gave it so much as a thought - I just spoke truth!