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From the tricky periods to the troublesome comma taught grammar – the we are hallowed rules that govern any language – right from our primary school years. Following them stringently, not a comma out of place, makes for good prose writing. On the other hand, the beauty of poetry lies in the fact that the poet can take grammatical liberties. The enjambment is a case in point.

A literary device used in poetry, enjambment (French for stepping over) helps in carrying over a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without any punctuation. No full stops, no m-dashes, or no semicolons. Sounds incredible, right?

Examples

Here’s how it works. Many poems have lines with a natural pause or punctuation to convey ideas. These are known as end stopped lines. Whereas enjambment ends a line in the middle of a phrase, allowing it to continue onto the next. Using enjambment poets, can create a free-flowing poem.

William Carlos Williams’ “Between Walls” (1938) is a classic example

“the back wings

of the

hospital where

nothing will grow lie

cinders

in which shine the broken

pieces of a green bottle

Breaking one sentence into 10 enjambed lines gives the poem a certain pace and adds to the dramatic effect.

Without enjambment, the poem would have simply read the back wings of the hospital, where nothing will grow, lie cinders in which shine the broken pieces of a green bottle.”

See how enjambment can change the tone of the poem?

Setting the pace

Thanks to enjambment, the lines can move quickly as the eye hops to the next line to follow the thought or meaning of the poem.

This technique helps the poet to communicate the mood of the poem, give it momentum and even create some tension.

For instance, TS Eliot’s, The Waste Land (1922) cleverly uses enjambment to evoke changing seasons:

“April is the cruelest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm,

covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.”

So the next time you sit down to write a poem, try your hand at this unique literary device!

 

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Nestled between a canopy of trees, the house on 20 Northmoor Road looks like any other in the U.K. countryside. However, it is a round blue plaque on the front of the house that sets it apart. Bold writing on the blue circle proudly declares, “J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings” lived here.”

And, the 97-year-old house, which has been put up for sale in December 2020, has spurred a controversial crowdfunding campaign, supported by popular British actors, to convert it into a centre dedicated to the author and his works.

Tolkien lived at the house between 1930 and 1947 with his wife Edith.

According to the press release, Project Northmoor is now working to raise $6 million by March 15, 2021. Many public figures including Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman, who played Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins in the film adaptations of Tolkien’s fantasy novels, have come out in its support.

The website, projectnorthmoor.org, says, “We hope one day to invite Tolkien fans the world over to take part in our programme of events,” says the website.

The controversy

Project Northmoor however is not backed by the Tolkien estate. Members of the public have also raised over some of the conditions put forth by the organisers for donating the money. As the debate about the future of the iconic writer’s house continues, fans are keeping their fingers crossed.

Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?

Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He went to King Edward’s School in England, where he did remarkably well. From an early age, he showed exceptional linguistic skills. He mastered the staple languages of that time such as Latin and Greek along with ancient and classical languages such as Gothic and Finnish. But he was more than just a language enthusiast, he often made up languages in his leisure time. A few of his friends from King Edward’s School also formed a secret society T.C.B.S (Tea Club and Barrovian Society) and regularly came together to drink tea, write poetry and review each other’s work.

Popular works

Tolkien worked as an Assistant Lexicographer on the Oxford English Dictionary and later as a professor at the University of Leeds and Oxford. He often regaled his children with mythological stories and legends. One such story became the basis for the famous trilogy “The Hobbit”. The series soon developed into something much more than a children’s story. It turned into a highly complex 16-year history of what became “The Lord of the Rings”. It went on to become a cult classic.

Final years

In 1959, Edith and Tolkien retired and moved to Bournemouth. After retirement, Tolkien received literary fame. Frustrated by the constant public attention, he was forced to remove his phone number from the public directory. In 1961, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but he did not win. He spent his final years in a seaside resort along with his wife. He lost Edith in the year 1971 after which he moved back to Oxford and after two short years there.

Inside Northmoor

• Tolkien’s house on 20 Northmoor Road, Oxford in the U.K. was listed on the market on December, 2020 for nearly $6 million. Because of its connection to Tolkien, it is listed as a Grade 2 building, meaning it is of special interest.
• Built in 1924, it was initially the residence of a popular Oxford bookseller Basil Blackwell, before it was bought by Tolkien, when was teaching at Oxford University.
• The two-story structure is spread over 3,500 sq. ft with as many as six bedrooms, and four bathrooms. What makes it special is a drawing room, where Tolkien loved to write and meet with his students. A garden at the back of the house still some of the trees planted by Tolkien.
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The true spirit of Christmas

Dr. Seuss’s children’s picture book, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a holiday classic. The mean-spirited Grinch lives on the top of Mount Crumpit in Whoville. A six-year old Cindy Lou learns of the Grinch’s tragic past and nominates him to be the town’s “Holiday Cheermeister”. However, the celebrations turn sour as the Whos remind Grinch of his past humiliations. The Grinch concocts a plan to crush the Whos Christmas spirit by stealing all of their presents, decorations and food while they’re sleeping. He disguises himself as Santa Claus and dresses his dog Max as a reindeer, then descends into Whoville.

Ghosts of Christmas

Nothing quite says ‘Christmas’ like Charles Dickens mean old miser who hates everything associated with the cursed day. “A Christmas Carol” tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his ghostly visitations – the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

The joy of letters

Every December, J.R.R. Tolkien’s children would receive a letter from Father Christmas. These letters shared Father Christmas’s experiences that year-from an accident-prone polar bear to goblin wars in caves beneath the house – and are riddled with life lessons. , Tolkien has compiled all these short stories into one book for you to enjoy with your children.

Being selfless

“A Gift of the Magi” is a short story by O. Henry about the personal sacrifices we are willing to make for the ones we love. The magi were wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus.

Living in the moment

Published on December 21, 1844, “The Fir Tree” is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young fir tree so anxious to grow up that it forgets to truly appreciate the present.

 

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A chilling account

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic “The long Winter,” gives a vivid account of one of the worst winters in the U.S. history. Told through the eyes of 13-year-old Laura, the story takes place in 1880-1881.

One of the major plot elements is the snow blockade that stops all train traffic to the town for months, cutting it off from supplies and bringing its people to near starvation. Meteorologists have verified the accuracy of Wilder’s account of the weather.

Story of the storm

The bestselling book that inspired the unforgettable film, Sebastian Junger’s “The Perfect Storm” tells the true story of the Andrea Gail – a fishing vessel manned by a crew of six, which disappeared in the middle of a raging storm off the coast of Nova Scotia on October 28, 1991. After one radio call to shore, notifying listeners of the impending storm, the ship was never heard from again: disappearing into the depths of the ocean and taking the crew members with it.

Waves of destruction

Lauren Tarshi’s “I Survived A Tsunami” tells a story about Ben, whose family is pulled apart and swept away in the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. Ben has to find a way to survive one of the most epic disasters.

The devil and the deep sea

Yann Martel’s 16-year-old protagonist finds himself in this quandary when he is forced to share a lifeboat with a fierce Bengal tiger. Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel and his parents are on a sea voyage to Canada after selling their zoo in India when they run into a terrible storm that sinks their ship. Pi is the lone human survivor along with the tiger.

A deadly eruption

Mike Mullin’s “Ashfall” series follows 15-year-old Alex, who is home alone when the supervolcano under The Yellowstone-finally erupts. The Yellowstone that some scientists believe has been long overdue for an eruption.

With his house and neighbourhood destroyed, Alex embarks on a journey to search for his family and finds help in Darla, who he meets along the way. Together they find the strength and skills to survive and outlast the disaster.

Perils of global warming

“The Drowned World” is a 1962 science fiction novel by British writer J.G. Ballard. The novel depicts a post-apocalyptic future in which global warming has caused the majority of the Earth to become uninhabitable. The story follows a team of scientists researching ongoing environmental developments in a flooded, abandoned London. “The Drowned World” is also believed to be the founding text in the literary genre known as climate fiction.

The distinctiveness of Ballard’s fiction has given rise to the adjective “Ballardian”, defined by the Collins English Dictionary as resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in J.G. Ballard’s novels and stories.” His books usually examine the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments.

 

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From academics and parental expectations to extra-curricular activities and peer pressure, children today are under a lot of stress and anxiety. Released on the occasion of World Mental Health Day in October, Mumbai-based Vaishali Shroff’s new book, “The Boy In The Dark Hole” addresses this important theme.

The book tells the sweet story of a 10-year-old boy who struggles with the burden of parental expectations. The protagonist, mysteriously named SP (you will discover the reason behind it as the story unfurls), gets a discarded cardboard tube from his mother. Sitting in a dark room, SP peers into the darkness of the tube and is reminded of all the times when he experienced negative emotions such as sadness, anger, frustration or irritation. The dark hole is a metaphor of his mental state. Imagining himself to be falling through it, he keeps wondering if there is any end at all to the dark hole.

Shroff believes that in today’s scenario, there is a need to raise awareness about the mental health of children. “This book intends to make children get in touch with their emotions.” Shroff tells “The Hindu in School”. “It teaches children how to go from your dark place to your happy place.”

Caught in the deep throes of depression, SP’s friends Lobo and Kuhu help him see the light at the end of the tunnel. Usually in books, the protagonists are the heroes – but what I wanted to tell through this book is that there are many children who are not equipped to be those heroes. Not everybody is like a knight in shining armour. Sometimes, they themselves need help. So this book is about not being afraid to seek help from others when you actually need it,” she says.

Understanding children’s mental health has become pertinent during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, adds Shroff. “In this lockdown, it’s been ten months since most children have met their school friends. So this book also tells children that you need to check on your friends and ensure that they are doing good mentally.” she says.

Did you know?

• Shroff runs a children’s storytelling club. Started in 2009 in Pune, the club functions in Mumbai as well and during the coronavirus pandemic it has been meeting regularly online.
• Shroff made a foray into writing through poetry. Her first poem was published during the 1993 Mumbai riots. The fan mails and appreciation she received encouraged her to write more.
• Her stories are inspired by real-life experiences and tackle complex topics. Her second book “The Missing Bat” by Pratham Books is based on her travels in Kashmir. “Ari” is about an introverted, shy boy. “The Strange Case of Nayantara” is about consent.
• Her latest, ‘The Boy in the Dark Hole”, has been illustrated by Samidha Gunjal. Her beautiful illustrations bring the story to life and help us empathise with SP’s struggle.

Author bio

Vaishali Shroff is an award-winning children’s author and columnist based in Mumbai. A prolific author, she has written more than 200 stories, both fiction and non-fiction. She likes to write stories about subjects that are challenging and pertinent, and that serve as icebreakers during difficult conversations. Some of her popular books are “The Adventures of Padma and the Blue Dinosaur”, “The Missing Bat”, “The Strange Case of Nayantara”, “Raindrops” and “Ari”.

 

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