Literary Devices Literary Devices    

Lesson 24: Foreshadowing: Jabberwocky

by Lewis Carroll

Performer: Librivox - Kara Shallenberg

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

• Read or listen to the poem.
• Review the synopsis.
• Read about the poet.
• Complete the enrichment activities.

Synopsis

Don't worry if you don't recognize the words in Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem, 'Jabberwocky.' Many of the words are made up (see the translation below the original poem in the lesson). In the poem, a father warns his son about the fiery-eyed, clawing, biting Jabberwock. The son ignores his father's advice, grabs his sword, and ventures out. After the son kills the Jabberwock, he brings the head back to his father. His father is very proud, and all returns to normal. With the father's warning, the poem employs foreshadowing to hint at the upcoming battle.

Concepts

Poets often use literary devices, defined as 'rules of thumb, convention, or structure that are employed in literature and storytelling.'

The nine literary devices we'll study include:

1. Rhyming
2. Alliteration
3. Similes
4. Metaphors
5. Personification
6. Foreshadowing
7. Allusion
8. Hyperbole
9. Onomatopoeia

Foreshadowing is a literary device whereby an author drops hints or symbolic representations of plot developments to come later in the story.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite Poem Information

Recite the title of the poem and the name of the poet.

Activity 2: Study the Poem Picture

Study the poem picture and describe how it relates to the poem. How does the image differ from the poem?

Activity 3: Recite the Poem

Practice reciting the poem aloud.

Activity 4: Identify Foreshadowing in the Examples

Read aloud the examples below and predict the future event being foreshadowed.

• As Barry worried about his gravely sick father, the sun broke through the clouds, illuminating Barry with its warm rays.
• A rainbow sparkled over the outdoor graduation ceremony as the valedictorian gave her speech.
• While he sprawled over the grass and fretted over her spelling test the next day, David spotted a four-leaf clover.
• Painful headaches began plaguing Annie. They grew so bad, one day she couldn't get out of bed.
• On the first day of school, I met a girl wearing the same NASA shirt and carrying the same Scooby Doo lunch box as me.

Activity 5: Identify the Rhyme Scheme

Review the poem and identify the pattern of its rhyming scheme. (e.g. ABBACDCD, etc.)

Activity 6: Identify Alliteration

Review the poem and point out any instances of alliteration.

Activity 7: Identify Foreshadowing

Review the poem excerpt. How does it foreshadow the future?

• Beware the Jabberwock, my son - The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Activity 8: Complete Book Activities   

• Click the crayon above, and complete pages 73-75 of 'Elementary Poetry 5: Literary Devices.'

References

'The Jabberwocky Translated.' Medium Blog Entry. https://medium.com/@Magisternihil/the-jabberwocky-translated-a4904f830683. n.p.

'Foreshadowing.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.