Quatrain,

Enjambment and
Line Break

Quarter 1 – Week 4
 Objectives

1. Identify the various elements, techniques,
and literary devices in specific forms of
poetry

2. Write a short poem applying the various

elements and literary devices exploring
innovative techniques
Review

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;

If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
Love takes time.
It takes patience
to find the one,
to find him,
to find forever.
The heart may get broken,
but never give up.
The patience of a heart
is so beautiful.
 Quatrain

 Quatrain is one of the most common forms of poetry.
It has four lines with a rhyming pattern of aabb,
abab, aaaa, or abcd.

Example:
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day A
Thou art more lovely and more temperate B
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May A
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date (W. Shakespeare) B

This poem is a quatrain with an ABAB rhyme scheme

 
 Quatrains are usually the basis for many standard
poetries. Most of the writers make use of 4-line
stanzas in creating their poems. One form of poetry
that was developed based on quatrains is the Patrol
Poem. Patrol poem is an accentual verse poem in
three stanzas of four lines each. This was invented by
Rex Allen Brewer in response to an exercise in
group study of Poet’s Companion. It was an exercise
to create a new form, distinct by meter, rhyme and
use of poetic devices.
 The Patrol Poem is:

 a 12 line poem made up of 3 quatrains.

 accentual verse, giving importance to stress count. There are 4

stresses in each of the 4 lines of the first quatrain, 3 stresses in
each of the 4 lines of the second quatrain and the stress count
alternates stresses from 4, 3, 4, 3 in the third quatrain.

 rhymed, rhyme scheme is xaxa xbxb xcxc. x being unrhymed.

 composed with repetition of words as a criterion of this form.

In each quatrain 1 word is repeated 4 times, anaphora
(repetition of the first word of the line) may be employed to
accomplish this goal.
 Advice to a Beginning Poet-Writer
by Rex Allen Brewer
Listen to your broken heart my
friend;
listen as the old folks speak;
listen to the jay’s tall tale;
listen and learn before you speak.
Write the simple stuff;
write the common tale;

write barefoot poetry;
write to shape a spell.
Learn to write with Glory words,
words that soar and fight.
You want words that sing and
shout,
words that dance all night
 line break

 A line break is a poetic device which is used at the
end of a line and the beginning of the next line in a
poem. It could be employed without traditional
punctuation.

 Remember, there’s a difference between a “line” and

a “sentence.” A sentence is that grade-school tool
that expresses a complete thought. A line is the literal
linear streak of text flowing across a page.
Here are some rules to remember
about lines and sentences.

Exercise

Arbitrary Lineation. I recommend doing this exercise on paper. Take the
following words (from the Wikipedia entry on pigeons) and chop them into
lines of roughly equal length, about ten syllables, and two lines per stanza.
For this exercise, don’t omit any words; it’s important to exercise a minimal
degree of creative control over the manipulation

Pigeons have made contributions of con

siderable importance to huma
nity, especially in times of war.
In war the homing ability of
pigeons has been put to use by making
them messengers. So-called war pigeons have
carried many vital messages and
some have been decorated for their ser
vices.
 Enjambment

 Enjambment births sentence fragments, multi-dimensional
meaning, and visual appeal through the unexpected intrusion
of white space.
 Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence or a clause over a
line-break.
 It is a term used in poetry to refer to lines that end without
punctuation and without completing a sentence or clause.
 Task #2

Individual Activity
Fine-Tuned Controlled Lineation

 For this exercise, we will exercise control over the full range of line
break strengths to enact a scene.

 1. choose a moment that typically produces anxiety. This could be

opening an important letter, checking a pregnancy test, or anything
else that we become mentally fixated on as we await the outcome.

 2. come up with a few images or phrases leading up to the

revelation of the outcome. Arrange these into lines. Begin by setting
the scene with a line break that is aligned with the sentence. Use
increasingly strong breaks as the tension ramps up. Break within a
word in such a way that the final line carries additional meaning.

 Note: you can increase the strength of any break by having the
break occur across a stanza, not just across a line.
1. choose a moment that typically produces
anxiety. This could be opening an
important letter, checking a pregnancy test,
or anything else that we become mentally
fixated on as we await the outcome.

2. come up with a few images or phrases

leading up to the revelation of the
outcome. Arrange these into lines. Begin
by setting the scene with a line break that
is aligned with the sentence. Use
increasingly strong breaks as the tension
ramps up. Break within a word in such a
way that the final line carries additional
meaning.
Techniques in Writing Poetry:
Limerick, Concrete Poems,
Cinquain, and Alphabet
Poems

 Concrete Poetry

 Includes words and phrases
arranged on paper to capture
and extend meaning

 The print of the poem takes

the shape as a collage or
picture that conveys meaning

 Each line is a complete unit

of thought
 Concrete Poetry

 Concrete poetry—sometimes also called ‘shape
poetry’—is poetry whose visual appearance matches
the topic of the poem. The words form shapes which
illustrate the poem’s subject as a picture, as well as
through their literal meaning.

 The name “Concrete Poetry,” however, is from the

1950’s, when a group of Brazilian poets called the
Noigandres held an international exhibition of their
work, and then developed a “manifesto” to define
the style. The manifesto states that concrete poetry
‘communicates its own structure: structure = content’
 Outline Poems

 A common way to
make the visual
structure reflect the
subject of the poem is
to fill an outline
shape that relates to
the topic of the poem,
in the same way that
Carroll’s poem fits
the outline of a
mouse’s tail.
 Drawing Poems

 Another way to make
concrete poetry is to
use the lines of words
to make the lines of a
drawing. This time,
the subject doesn’t
have to be an object,
but it does have to be
something you can
draw an illustration of
using ‘stick’ figures.
 Cinquain
simplicity.

 ✓ A 5-line poem that is very popular because of its

 ✓ It was created by American poet Adelaide Crapsey.

 ✓ A poem with the following format:
 ✓ The first line consists of two syllables (the title)
 ✓ The second line consists of four syllables (describes the
title)
 ✓ The third line consists of six syllables (states an action)
 ✓ The fourth line consists of eight syllables (expresses a
feeling)
 ✓ The last line consists of two syllables (another word for
the title)
Cinquain Poetry

Parrot
Beautiful bird
Squawking very loudly
Flying in canopy layers.
Pretty
Cinquains can also tell a story. An easy way to do this
is to start with your subject on the first line, describe it
on the second, put an action on the third line, a feeling

on the fourth line, and a conclusion on the last line, like
this:
 Limericks

 ✓ Funny or silly poems with 5 lines
 ✓ Meant to be humorous Example:
 ✓ Lines 1,2, and 5 rhyme with each
other There was a young lady whose bonnet
 ✓ Lines 3 and four rhyme with each Came untied when the birds sat upon it.
But she said, “I don’t care!
other All the birds of the air
 ✓ Rhyme scheme of aabba Are welcome to sit on my bonnet!”
 ✓ Pioneered by Edward Lear (1812-
1888) By: Edward Lear
 ✓ Limericks often start with the line
"There once was a..." or "There was a..."
Challenge

Below are opening lines for two limericks.
Write the other lines to complete the limerick.
Remember which lines that need to rhyme

 Limerick 1  Limerick 2
1. There was a strong boy 1. There was a brown dog
named Pete with a nose
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5
 Alphabet Poem

 ✓ a poem where the first letter of each line is the
subsequent letter of the alphabet.

 ✓ Each line focuses on building upon the central

topic of the poem, creating a specific mood, feeling,
or picture in the reader’s mind.
 Bonfire Night

Ahh! As the colours light up the sky
But birds beware as rockets fly by
C is the child watching wide-eyed
D is the dog locked up inside.
E sees that everyone has a good time
F for Guy Fawkes, cut down in his prime
G is the grass that gets burnt by the fire
Hats, scarves and gloves; warm winter
attire.
I see the dangers and keep standing back
As J reminds me of the ‘Jumping Jack’
K for the knocks on all the hosts’ doors
L for the laughter and long, loud guffaws.
Money is spent; an outstanding amount
N sees large numbers of burns to count
Ordinary peoples’ lives left in pain
P for the people who wisely refrain.
The Quick, quiet spin of the catherine wheel
Rains sparkling dust and romantic appeal
S is for sparklers held safe at a distance
T is for tantruming toddlers’ persistence
U understands, with a Mum’s gentle hold
V is the viciousness of winter’s cold
Warmth from the welcoming flames of the
fire
Xcitement is building as they rise up higher
Y has the young children sent off to bed
The zzzzzzs are the dreamz of the sweet
sleepyhead.
Write Shop 5

I. Concrete Poetry
Write a Concrete Poem in the shape of subject of the poem.
You may use Outline or Drawing Type.