Unit 6.8 Sample Work Graphic Organizer
Activity #1
Figurative Language
A- Lewis Carroll, in his literary piece, “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” uses personification.
C- One example of when Lewis Carroll employs the literary device of personification is when he describes the walrus and the carpenter trying to attract the oysters to follow them on the beach. This occurs in the part where the characters believe that the oysters would dare to be convinced by connecting to them, which illustrates the moment of belief and trust.
E- Carroll was explaining that the deception of persuasive figures can lead the unmindful to their own threats. By portraying the walrus and the carpenter as charming but deceitful characters and highlighting the innocence of the oysters, Carroll comments on the dangers of misplaced trust and the vulnerability of the naive.
S- Carroll’s choice of personification contributes to the entire text by emphasizing the themes of duplicity and victimization. The use of this literary device allows readers to examine the challenges of misplaced trust and the alluring nature of deceptive characters, reinforcing the moral undercurrents of the poem.
Historical Context
A- Historical elements such as Victorian morality and industrialization are apparent in the literary piece, “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” by Lewis Carroll.
C- Carroll states, “The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to talk of many things: of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—of cabbages—and kings.” This line alludes to the changing times and the importance of conversation and manipulation that were prevalent in society during the Victorian era.
E- So, his use of characters who manipulate the innocent suggests a critique of those in power during this transformative period. The walrus and the carpenter represent figures of authority who ultimately take advantage of the unsuspecting oysters.
S- The reader can connect the historical context and these words by understanding that the events in Victorian society, marked by sharp distinctions between class and rampant industrial growth, influenced Carroll’s portrayal of trust and betrayal within the story. Through this lens, the poem serves as an allegory for the social dynamics of his time, highlighting the risks faced by the vulnerable in a rapidly changing world.