Analysis of Louis Carroll's Poem "Jabberwocky"

Q: Describe how the content OBSTRUCTS your understanding of the poem?

Jabberwocky  By: Louis Carroll

The" nonsense" style form of writing is a clever poetic tool in which readers can really enjoy however the content can be difficult to grasp and therefore obstruct the audiences understanding of the poem. That is, although the poem is fun, light- hearted and entertaining with the use of play-on, nonsense words, Carroll leaves too much to the imagination, creating a sense of frustration or perhaps confusion as to what the underlying meaning of the literary work or content means. Based on the "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" story, the fantastical theme and content in which Alice finds herself in a room with fun house mirrors or "looking glass" reads the strange unfamiliar word Jabberwocky. In deed the poem has been deemed difficult to understand by some as its not precise in its meaning nor does Alice even seem clear. In addition, the poem leaves the reader with much to interpret on their own yet grasps the imagination of adults as much as well as children. Next, while the syntax, such as the quatrain versus and use of abab rhythmic schemes as well as iambic meters allow the poem to flow and be whimsical or playful, it is questionable as to whether or not it helps the reader understand the content. Furthermore, this pattern of poetic writing allows the audience to infer to many meanings while engaging in the nonsense. Lastly, although Carroll cleverly uses many exclamation marks at the end of stanza's in order to emphasize a point as well as capture the reader's attention and more importantly attempt to maintain it throughout the entire poem, its' content or words do not seem to make much sense nor be logical. Finally, Jabberwocky is a surreal literary piece and the poet's distortion of words allow readers of all ages to delve into a fantasy-like world of many unknowns and questions much like this poem's contents reveals.

Analysis of E.E Cummings Poems: "Buffalo Bill" and "A Leaf Falls"

 Q: Describe how their FORM relates to their CONTENT?

Buffalo Bills  By: E.E. Cummings

The "Self-Portrait" is a clever attempt at illustrating a well-known cowboy's ability to shoot, while mocking his inevitable death. The free verse poetic form utilized by the poet can lead to many different interpretations. Firstly, certain key words, like "defunct" stand alone on the page for emphasis allowing  the reader to pause and think about their meaning as well as the relation to the content of the poem.  For example, defunct means "to stop working" or "broken" yet here, the poet is sarcastically referring to the so-called celebrity cowboy "Buffalo Bill" as being defunct. Subsequently, the author combines words together to perhaps slow the reader down therefore forcing one to gain a greater insight as to what the underlying message is. In the line "onetwothrefour...." is not difficult to read unless it's read slowly, it allows the person to question what is meant by this improper way of spelling and utilizing of words. Maybe it helps reiterate the poet's "scattered" thoughts or emotions regarding the old cowboy. Next,  many will argue that the form of the poem and the way in which E.E. Cummings has laid it out on paper resembles two separate pistols when the page is cut in half. If that is the case, it clearly connects to the content of a cowboy and his endless killings. Finally, the way in which Cummings utilizes irony in that on the one hand Buffalo Bill is portrayed as a clever, handsome man (perhaps like Jesus) and very skilled at hunting yet mocks his death.

A Leaf Falls  By: E.E. Cummings

 This short yet effective haiku-like poem has been described by many literary scholars as one of the most beautiful poetic constructs that Cummings has ever written. Despite the poem consisting of four simple words, its meaning can be bountiful.  The format Cummings uses to describe a falling leaf is clever as the letters indicate a "falling" style or dribble down the page. That is, a few letters piled on top of one another in the same manner leaves fall off a tree. Next, the word "loneliness" can be interpreted by many readers as the feeling a leaf encounters when it loses its "place in the tree." For example, once a leaf has fallen to the ground it is alone and in some ways- having to fend for itself. This thought or emotion correlates with the form and style Cummings utilizes in the short poem. For instance, the grammatically incorrect way in which he separates words and syllables as well as the look of the falling letters makes the read perhaps feel alone and having to fend for themselves as to what the author is trying to reveal. In addition, having stated the poem with one letter "I" reiterates the oneness or loneliness of the single letter in the opening sentence of a well respected piece of literary work. Finally, this poem forces the reader to stop and think about each line and letters within to verify it underlying meanings.