Jabberwocky

Poems work best in their appropriate contexts—in the context in which they were created, or the context in which they were intended to be read or heard. When the context in which one encounters a poem changes, it affects how the poem is perceived and understood. Consider, for example, encountering a sonnet by Shakespeare in two drastically different contexts, and how the different settings would affect one’s reading or understanding of the poem. In the first instance, imagine hearing a world-famous dramatic actor reciting the sonnet in a film or as part of an arts program, etc. The movie-goers or tv-watchers who listen to it would likely be impressed by such a performance. How, though, would one’s appreciation of the same sonnet be affected if one were to encounter it accurately transcribed on a public restroom wall, in a way such that one would be inclined to read it (one presumes silently) during their time in the restroom? Would what the poem means, or how the poem makes one feel, change given the radically different context in which one encounters it? It would. The poem itself, assuming it is an accurate transcription, will of course be the same.