Deeeeeeeeep thoughts
Feb. 18th, 2003 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blodeueddIt's a shame I'm too tired to think things through properly in the evenings, but watch me try. In class these days we're doing debates as a warm-up activity and these last two days have seen some pretty interesting discussions. Yesterday censorship, today immigration policies (which degenerated into a debate on the subject of fingerprinting and the Big Brother state, among other things).
When it comes to censorship, I'm afraid that I believe that everyone has the right to speak freely. Some things should be given limits -- no need for 6-year-olds to look at porn sites -- but if we don't let neo-nazis or Christian fundamentalists or Taliban supporters express their views, how will we know who to look down upon? Obviously they shouldn't tell us what to do or think, but it's their right to think what they will just as it's our right to congratulate ourselves on our tolerant views.
Humpty-Dumpty did it long before me, but who says I can't interpret Carroll-speak?
Jabberwocky (by Lewis Carroll)
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
brillig - like gloaming, only with fewer colours and dank
slithy - sinuous and writhing
toves - prob. related to thistles (but slithier)
gyre - to undulate in a spiral-like manner
gimble - to bounce?
wabe - a small meadow by the edge of the woods
mimsy - that minces in a flimsy manner
borogoves - small knobby creatures that dwell under toadstools
mome rath - related to gnomes, w/ longer fingers and sharper teeth
outgrabe - to reach out and attempt to grasp (long nails required)
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
Jubjub bird - emu-like bird but w/ larger beak and claws. Definitely yellow (cousin of Big Bird?)
frumious - furious to the point of spitting fire
Bandersnatch - obviously a kind of cat burglar wearing a hood
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.
vorpal - both Vestal (as in virginal, i.e. never-before-used) and studded with opals
manxome - that which resembles a Manx cat, e.g. hairy, whiskered, most likely tail-less
Tumtum tree - small tree of great girth with drooping leaves
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
uffish - oafish and confused, not too bright
whiffling - sound made by one trying to huff and puff and wheeze and whistle all at once
tulgey - of a damp, spongy nature
burble - to make a sound of gloating contentment (e.g. my brother in a good mood)
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.
snicker-snack - the sound made by a weed-eater
galumph - rapid, uneven gait lacking grace and much coordination
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
beamish - that which is beaming, in this case most likely sheened with sweat
frabjous - FABulous! (dial.)
Callooh! Callay! - Call où? Calais! (Phone Calais)
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
When it comes to censorship, I'm afraid that I believe that everyone has the right to speak freely. Some things should be given limits -- no need for 6-year-olds to look at porn sites -- but if we don't let neo-nazis or Christian fundamentalists or Taliban supporters express their views, how will we know who to look down upon? Obviously they shouldn't tell us what to do or think, but it's their right to think what they will just as it's our right to congratulate ourselves on our tolerant views.
Humpty-Dumpty did it long before me, but who says I can't interpret Carroll-speak?
Jabberwocky (by Lewis Carroll)
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
brillig - like gloaming, only with fewer colours and dank
slithy - sinuous and writhing
toves - prob. related to thistles (but slithier)
gyre - to undulate in a spiral-like manner
gimble - to bounce?
wabe - a small meadow by the edge of the woods
mimsy - that minces in a flimsy manner
borogoves - small knobby creatures that dwell under toadstools
mome rath - related to gnomes, w/ longer fingers and sharper teeth
outgrabe - to reach out and attempt to grasp (long nails required)
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
Jubjub bird - emu-like bird but w/ larger beak and claws. Definitely yellow (cousin of Big Bird?)
frumious - furious to the point of spitting fire
Bandersnatch - obviously a kind of cat burglar wearing a hood
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.
vorpal - both Vestal (as in virginal, i.e. never-before-used) and studded with opals
manxome - that which resembles a Manx cat, e.g. hairy, whiskered, most likely tail-less
Tumtum tree - small tree of great girth with drooping leaves
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
uffish - oafish and confused, not too bright
whiffling - sound made by one trying to huff and puff and wheeze and whistle all at once
tulgey - of a damp, spongy nature
burble - to make a sound of gloating contentment (e.g. my brother in a good mood)
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.
snicker-snack - the sound made by a weed-eater
galumph - rapid, uneven gait lacking grace and much coordination
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
beamish - that which is beaming, in this case most likely sheened with sweat
frabjous - FABulous! (dial.)
Callooh! Callay! - Call où? Calais! (Phone Calais)
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-02-20 05:48 pm (UTC)i come to this journal: everything's pink and *nothing* makes sense no more..
Re:
Date: 2003-02-21 04:48 am (UTC)