Sometimes, it is difficult for students to connect with themes in poetry until they put them into a real-world context. Consider the following activity for students to storyboard.
At its core, “Jabberwocky” is a tale of heroism, and the battle between a good son and an evil creature. It is believed that Lewis Carroll was inspired to write the poem by the legend of the Lambton Worm. Many legends begin as stories, sometimes based on facts, or well-known events in a particular area. Sometimes, the legends are also based on landmarks. Have students create their own legendary creature that menaces civilization, and a hero to save the day. Have them document their legend in a storyboard plot diagram like the one below.
Once upon a time in the small mountain town of Wisdom Lake, there was a girl who longed to explore the world around her. Orphaned at 3, Laura just wanted to get away from her evil Aunt Pearl, who wouldn’t let her go past the boundary of the property line and made her do chores all day.
On the top of Wisdom Mountain, which overlooked Wisdom Lake, there was gleaming white rock in the shape of a pyramid. The locals said the rock held magic powers, and whoever could climb up to it would be able to find eternal freedom. The problem was, it was guarded by a one-eyed red monster they called the Cyclomanderion. Many had died trying to capture the stone; none had successfully defeated the Cyclomanderion.
One day, Laura was walking quietly out to the barn to feed the horses. Suddenly, she saw a sparkle above her on the mountain. She squinted, and the sparkling thing moved. She listened and heard someone yell, “Help!” Laura looked around – the village was silent. No one else heard. She knew she had to help whoever it was, so she grabbed a training whip from the horse barn and began to run.
Laura made it to the base of the mountain in minutes. Slowly, she began to pick her way upwards, holding onto rocks and carefully placing her feet on solid ground. As she worked her way up, she continued to hear the screams for help. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Laura pulled herself up over the last stone and found herself face-to-face with the most terrifying creature she’d ever seen. Behind the creature was the stone, shining furiously into Laura’s eyes.
Laura grabbed her whip and threw herself over the edge at the creature. The Cyclomanderion got into an attack position, and Laura could see that behind it was a scared little boy. She roared and cracked the whip at the creature, but it ducked. As she reared back to strike again, the whip struck the stone and the stone exploded, throwing Laura, the creature, and the child over the side of the mountain.
When Laura awoke, she was in a field. She looked over and found the child sleeping peacefully beside her. On the other side of her, she watched as a large red scorpion scuttled away. She looked towards the mountain, but it was gone. In its place stood a magnificent tree with glowing white fruit. To this day, we don’t understand what turns the fruit so white, but we know it has something to do with the Cyclomanderion and his white pyramid on the mountain.
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Student Instructions
Create a plot diagram for an original legend building upon ideas from “Jabberwocky”.
Help students relate 'Jabberwocky' to their own experiences by encouraging them to identify central themes like heroism, bravery, or facing the unknown. This makes the poem more meaningful and boosts engagement by showing its relevance beyond the classroom.
Ask students to list moments of courage or heroism from history, current events, or their own lives. Connecting these examples to the poem's themes helps make abstract ideas concrete and memorable for your class.
Lead a conversation where students share their real-life hero stories and compare them with the poem's events and characters. This discussion encourages critical thinking and personal connections to literature.
Ask students to draw or digitally create a map that visually connects key moments from 'Jabberwocky' to their own or famous acts of heroism. Theme mapping deepens understanding and offers a creative outlet for student expression.
Invite students to present their theme maps to the class and reflect on how the poem’s messages apply to their lives. This step strengthens comprehension and builds classroom community.
A creative classroom activity is to have students create their own legendary creature and hero inspired by 'Jabberwocky', then document the story using a storyboard plot diagram with exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Students can connect 'Jabberwocky' to real-world contexts by inventing their own legend or myth and mapping it with a plot diagram, which helps them relate poetry themes like heroism and good versus evil to familiar storytelling structures.
A plot diagram is a visual tool that outlines key story elements (exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution). Teachers can use it to guide students in planning and organizing their own legends or adaptations.
Having students create their own legendary creatures encourages creativity, deepens understanding of literary themes, and makes abstract concepts in poetry more concrete and engaging.
Encourage students to use familiar settings or local landmarks, develop unique heroes and creatures, follow the plot diagram structure, and include creative images or descriptions for each story part to bring their legend to life.