The following lines of poetry demonstrate what type of line break?
From "Sequestered Writing" by Carolyn Forché:
"What ghost comes to the bedside whispering You?
-- With its no one without its I --
A dwarf ghost? A closet of empty clothes?
Ours was a ghost who stole household goods. Nothing anyone would miss.
Supper plates. Apples. Barbed wire behind the house."
A)End stop
B)Enjambment
https://literarydevices.net/end-stopped-line/
https://literarydevices.net/enjambment/
Let us know what you decide.
B) Enjambment
To determine the type of line break in a poem, we need to understand the concepts of end stop and enjambment.
An end stop occurs when a line of poetry ends with a punctuation mark, such as a period, comma, or question mark. This creates a pause or a break in the thought or meaning of the line.
On the other hand, enjambment occurs when a line of poetry continues without a pause or break into the next line. In enjambment, the thought or meaning of the line spills over, and the reader must continue to the next line to complete the phrase or sentence.
Let's analyze the lines in the given poem:
"What ghost comes to the bedside whispering You?
-- With its no one without its I --"
These two lines demonstrate an enjambment since the first line does not come to a clear pause or break. The reader must continue to the next line to understand the complete thought.
"A dwarf ghost? A closet of empty clothes?
Ours was a ghost who stole household goods. Nothing anyone would miss.
Supper plates. Apples. Barbed wire behind the house."
These lines demonstrate end stops since each line ends with a punctuation mark (question mark, period, and period). There is a clear pause or break after each line.
Therefore, the type of line break demonstrated in the given lines of poetry is:
A) End stop