“Today’s Magic Class is going to be a little different,” Mr. Bob said. “We are going to try some word magic. Who thinks words have to make sense for them to give us ideas?”
All hands went up.
“But what about this poem by Lewis Carrol, author of Alice in Wonderland?
Jabberwocky
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought —
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
(Bibliographical info
Source: Jabberwocky and Other Nonsense: Collected Poems, 2012, by Penguin Random House. This poem is in the public domain)
“Now,” Mr. Bob said, “Does spelling matter if you want your writing to make sense?”
Again, all hands went up.
“Well,” Mr. Bob said, “What about this?”
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
“So, you know what to do, let’s get going making some nonsense poems that still make sense!” encouraged Mr. Bob.
“We’re allowed to create gibberish?” Alice asked astounded?
“Just this once,” Mr. Bob smiled.