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Sun 30 Mar, 2003 04:50 pm
Here are a few gems from Lewis Carroll.
(1) Why is a raven like a writing desk?
(2)
Quote:John gave his brother James a box:
About it there were many locks.
James woke and said it gave him pain;
So gave it back to John again.
The box was not with lid supplied,
Yet caused two lids to open wide;
And all these locks had never a key-
What kind of box, then, could it be?
(3)
Quote:'First, the fish must be caught.'
That is easy: a baby, I think, could have caught it.
'Next, the fish must be bought.' That is easy: a penny, I think, would have bought it.
'Now cook me the fish!'
That is easy, and will not take more than a minute.
'Let it lie in a dish!'
That is easy, because it already is in it.
'Bring it here! Let me sup!'
It is easy to set such a dish on the table.
'Take the dish-cover up!'
Ah, that is so hard that I fear I'm unable!
For it holds like glue-
Holds the lid to the dish, while it lies in the
middle:
Which is easiest to do,
Un-dish-cover the fish, or dishcover the riddle?
I'll leave a few for the others and just give my favorite answer to 1)
"Poe wrote on both"
This is the ACTUAL answer given by Dodson:
Quote:"Enquiries have been so often addressed to me, as to whether any answer to the Hatter's Riddle can be imagined, that I may as well put on record here what seems to me to be a fairly appropriate answer, viz: 'Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar [sic] put with the wrong end in front' 1896 edition
Reckon he was on drugs or something?.........
I have always preferred the Poe answer!
2) - The 'box' is a punch. Locks are hair, two lids to open wide are eyelids.
John punched James, then James punched John.
#3 is an oyster - unfortunately, the price has gone up since he wrote that!
To #2:
As curly-headed Jemmy was sleeping in bed,
His brother John gave him a blow on the head;
James opened his eyelids, and spying his brother
Doubled his fist and gave him another.
This kind of box then is not so rare;
The lids are eyelids, the locks are the hair,
And so every schoolboy can tell to his cost,
The key to the tangles is constantly lost.
p.s. the "nevar" that Carroll wrote in the answer to his question (the first one), note that it spells "raven" backwards.
Here is a good one from alice in wonder land.
"Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is -- oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate!"
Why wouldnt she reach 20? hehe
oh yeah. Carol said a few years after the book Alice In Wonderland was out that there was originaly no answer to the "Why is the raven like a writing desk" riddle but the best he could come up with was they both hold flat notes. I prefer the answer "Poe wrote on both" But any thing goes
alterreality wrote:Here is a good one from alice in wonder land.
"Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is -- oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate!"
Why wouldnt she reach 20? hehe
Because she was stoned in the sea of tears?
Because she would always be a girl?
hehe. not quite. There is a very logical explanation for this. Its clever
lol im stumped
is 20 a place by any chance?
because sh couldnt count??? PLEASE TELL ME THE ANSWER!!! its driving me insane!!!!
hehe. about a months suspence,
It is because she is working in base 18.
It mite not be correct but thats what I came to the conclusion of and then I read it some where that that was the case.
Sorry for the loing wait
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