Nearly

Explore reasons why poets use enjambmentungroup.  

Read the poem without Fifi Colston’s accompanying illustration. Ask students who the text is about (a sheep) and what are they trying to do (reach a delicious green leaf). Then ask them to draw a quick sketch to represent the details in the poem. 

Ask students what type of text this is (a poem) and how they know (short lines, rather than continuous sentences). Explain to students that these short lines are called enjambed lines.  

Provide students with a simple definition of enjambment: when a sentence or a clause continues across more than one line. Contrast enjambment with an end-stopped line, where a line ends with punctuation that closes the thought or phrase. You may wish to compare ‘Nearly’ with ‘How to Dine with Lion’ (in this issue) which only contains end-stopped lines.  

Discuss why poets use enjambment. Explain to students that enjambment is used for lots of reasons, but two possible reasons include:  

• To create a flowing rhythm, which often simulates the poem’s mood or events in the poem. (For example, the slow rhythm of the enjambment is similar to the amount of time the sheep takes to try to eat the leaf ‘trying / to / reach’ and ‘nearly / there’.)  
• To draw attention to key details of the poem, particularly when only one or two words are enjambed. (For example, the features of the sheep – neck, ears, jaw, hooves – are all on their own line for emphasis.) 

Read the poem again to students. Instruct students to draw what they hear after each line (so after the first four lines they should have drawn the sheep’s face – its neck, ears, jaw and then filled in the rest of the image). Explain to students by pausing and drawing after each line, the rhythm of the poem has been slowed right down which allows students to concentrate on each word in the poem.  

Finally, reveal Fifi Colston’s illustration and students compare both their illustrations to it (their initial sketch and their line by line interpretation). They check to see which of their illustrations is more detailed and looks more like Fifi Colston’s. Discuss why enjambment is a useful technique when reading and understanding poetry.