Anyone Can Be a Poet with These Four Simple Steps

Anyone Can Be a Poet with These Four Simple Steps Poetry is elusive and standoffish, somewhat like your high school crush was when they didnt know you existed. Thats why most how to guides or blog pieces seem to miss the mark, giving you suggestions but not quite practical steps in the process of writing poems. Its just hard to do.Dan Chiasson, a poet and contributor to the New Yorker who covers up-and-coming new poets, puts it this way: The writing of poetry is notoriously mystified, almost occult in its resistance to rules or step-by-step methods. If youre a poet, the precision, discipline, and tact of painters or photographers seem enviable indeed. The entire process, by being externalized, seems repeatable, unlike the chance encounters of poets with their muses.Despite a seemingly impossible challenge of breaking down the process of writing poetry into simple steps- steps anyone can take- its possible to do. In fact, Ill go ahead and write the inflammatory words that will make many published poets annoyed: Everyone can be a poet . Yes, that means even you. The same breathtaking results that happened from great poets throughout history following this process can happen to you.Step 1: Pick an experienceUnless you are an established poet with years of experience writing, the first step to writing a poem should be to pick an important experience. The experience should be something that was significant in your life- a great loss, a moment with someone you love(d), an awe-inspiring natural event. These are the types of experiences that will help you write great poetry.Poet and performing artist Leonard Cohen once wrote, Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. This is his (very poetic) way of saying that life experiences are what make poetry what it is, and that any great poet must first have great life experiences before the poetry itself can be written.This is the reason that the experience you pick should be an amazing one. Do you have one in mind? Good†¦n ow on to step two.Step 2: Brainstorm your sensory memory surrounding the experienceTo complete step two, youll need a piece of scratch paper. On that paper, go ahead and write down five categories of senses: Sight, smell, taste, touch, sound. Then close your eyes and take a minute to recall the experience in your mind. Keep your eyes closed for as long as it takes to put yourself back in the moment and remember details. What were you wearing? Was there music playing? Were you inside or outside? What sensations do you remember feeling on your skin? What colors do you remember from the environment?When these details come to mind, start writing them down with as many descriptive adjectives as you can remember. Your list might look something like this:Sight: copper penny, red dress, penny whirling in circles, blue sugarSmell: cotton candy, grease from funnel cake stand, sweatTaste: sugary sweet cotton candy, bitterness of copper penny against lips, taste of blue sugar on his lipsTouch: cool penny against lips, his arms around my shouldersSound: people screaming on nearby rides, thunder of metal wheels rolling on tracksIts important that you dont rush through this step and maybe even return to it often during the writing process if you get stuck at later steps. Its also important to include as many details as you can. The above list is just an example and not complete. For those of you more accustomed to academic writing, consider this brainstorming session to be a kind of unstructured outline for your poem. The more details you include in the outline, the easier it will be to write the first draft.Step 3: Start finding metaphors (and/or similes)Remember back in elementary school when you were introduced to the concept of poetry? Metaphors and similes were introduced around the same time because if there is one literary device that is the absolute, unchanging foundation of poetry- it is metaphor.As a quick review, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money).Similarly, a simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses).So now lets go back to the list you made in step two. Look at some of the clauses you wrote down and start to brainstorm metaphors for them. For example, in my list, I wrote, His arms around my shoulders. To turn this into a metaphor, I might write, His arms around my shoulders are a pythons squeeze. To turn it into a simile, I might write, His arms around my shoulders are like a snakes coil.See how thats done? Now- you try it. Go through your list of sensory memories and change as many as you can into a metaphor or simile. When you are finished with this exercise, move on to step four.Step 4: Find musicality in the metaphorsWhile the heading might make this step seem complicated, it really isnt, so lets break it down. Musicality in this context means the quality or state of being musical : melodiousness.How is language musical you might ask? There are several ways language can have musicality, which in the jargon of the literati, just means it is pleasing to the ear. Rhyme is one way. Assonance and alliteration are others. Science has long studied the effects of repeating patterns on the brain and why the brain is programmed to enjoy it, but what it boils down to this: Find patterns in the sound of your words.Do some of your descriptive clauses repeat a consonant at the beginning of the word? Thats alliteration. Do you see repeating vowels in the words you wrote down? Thats assonance. Is there a rhyme somewhere in what you wrote or can you make a rhyme as you put the words together in stanzas (paragraphs of poems)?Speaking of rhyme- one of the most widely misunderstood traits of poetry is that there must be rhyme. This is simply untrue. In fact, a lot of modern published poet s dont use rhyme at all, but rather choose other ways of bringing musicality into the language (such as alliteration, meter, cadence, etc.).You also dont have to use end rhyme (rhyming at the end of the lines) to use rhyme in poetry. There are other types of rhyme, such as internal rhyme and eye rhyme- all of which are explained in this Poetry Foundation glossary on rhyme.The resultLets look at the results of this process. Jenny Xie is an up-and-coming poet who was just awarded the 2017 Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets for her first collection, Eye Level. As you read through the poem Naturalization, notice where she uses musicality through alliteration (e.g., snacks for snakes), and the senses (what she sees, hears, etc.).NaturalizationBy Jenny XieHis tongue shorn, father confusessnacks for snakes, kitchen for chicken.It is 1992. Weekends, we paw at cheapsilverware at yard sales. I am told by motherto keep our telephone number close,my beaded coin purse closer. I do this.The years are slow to pass, heavy-footed.Because the visits are frequent, we memorizeshames numbing stench. I nurse nosebleeds,run up and down stairways, chew the wind.Such were the times. All of us nearsighted.Grandmother prays for fortuneto keep us around and on a short leash.The new country is ill-fitting, linedwith cheap polyester, soiled at the sleeves.

Free Essays on Gateway

Brett A. Goldschmidt Dr. Albrecht Internet exercise â€Å"Gateway† Gateway’s website is very simplistic, but at the same time it is very blunt, and to the point. When we first enter the Gateway site, pop-up advertisements come up which I was not to impressed by, but further examining the main page of the website, the â€Å"support, at home, and office† tabs were a definite way of segmenting their clients or visitors of the website. I was very impressed to see that the â€Å"At Home† tab consisted of a lot of different options for models of computers. The computers ranged in price from $699 to $2,000 and over. The website really caters to the consumer because you can customize your computer and get everything you need and nothing you don’t. The accessories that gateway offered is a selection second to none; and I also was impressed of all the digital technology that was offered by Gateway. The website was simple and easy to use which is a plus in my books. I give gateway a thumbs up and congratulate them on a segmen ting job done well.... Free Essays on Gateway Free Essays on Gateway Gateway’s website is very simplistic, but at the same time it is very blunt, and to the point. When we first enter the Gateway site, pop-up advertisements come up which I was not to impressed by, but further examining the main page of the website, the â€Å"support, at home, and office† tabs were a definite way of segmenting their clients or visitors of the website. I was very impressed to see that the â€Å"At Home† tab consisted of a lot of different options for models of computers. The computers ranged in price from $699 to $2,000 and over. The website really caters to the consumer because you can customize your computer and get everything you need and nothing you don’t. The accessories that gateway offered is a selection second to none; and I also was impressed of all the digital technology that was offered by Gateway. The website was simple and easy to use which is a plus in my books. I give gateway a thumbs up and congratulate them on a segmen ting job done well.... Free Essays on Gateway Brett A. Goldschmidt Dr. Albrecht Internet exercise â€Å"Gateway† Gateway’s website is very simplistic, but at the same time it is very blunt, and to the point. When we first enter the Gateway site, pop-up advertisements come up which I was not to impressed by, but further examining the main page of the website, the â€Å"support, at home, and office† tabs were a definite way of segmenting their clients or visitors of the website. I was very impressed to see that the â€Å"At Home† tab consisted of a lot of different options for models of computers. The computers ranged in price from $699 to $2,000 and over. The website really caters to the consumer because you can customize your computer and get everything you need and nothing you don’t. The accessories that gateway offered is a selection second to none; and I also was impressed of all the digital technology that was offered by Gateway. The website was simple and easy to use which is a plus in my books. I give gateway a thumbs up and congratulate them on a segmen ting job done well....

Knowledge Management and its Advantages in Business Research Paper

Knowledge Management and its Advantages in Business - Research Paper Example Knowledge management can either contribute to the corporation or harm it in the attainment of the corporate goals. Thus, in order to assess its effect upon the organization, knowledge management must be considered as one of the business processes of the organization. This way, it can be determined whether the organization is moving closer or farther from the goals and objectives. Measuring KM effectiveness can be attained by measuring its impact upon the other business processes, the goals and benefits. Knowledge is an intangible asset and therefore cannot be observed. In recent times, management of knowledge has gained a lot of focus in organization management. Essentially, it has become one of the most important assets in business today. Knowledge management can be defined as the continual and persistent interaction among players in a system that leads to enhancement and maintenance of the systems knowledge base. The system or organization produces knowledge by gathering and organizing information and integrating the information in its strategies, goals and objectives to ensure adaptability and sustainable growth. In other words, an organization utilizing knowledge management continually compares existing knowledge with new information and adds up its knowledge base to improve on its method of production, strategies in an attempt to ensure that its targets and goals are attained. (Firestone, 1998). In a business setting, knowledge has three main building blocks, namely: a) data wh ich is raw, and without context; b) data is then transformed into information which is usable; and c) lastly, information is interpreted and combined to beget knowledge. There are two main types of knowledge, tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is derived from experience, and refers to expertise or knowledge that is difficult to transfer orally or through writing. For example, mechanical expertise can, to an extent be classified as tacit because it is acquired in time through experience and practice. On the other hand, explicit knowledge can be documented and taught through classroom learning. Explicit knowledge can easily be shared without necessarily having to practice or train (Marquard, 1996). Statement of the problem In the corporate environment, multiple factors that have emerged in the recent past have continually changed the approach and way of conducting profitable and sustainable businesses globally. Increased competition due to global economic developm ent, liberalization of international markets, advancement in technology and global integration has significantly changed the competitive landscape. Moreover, increased information access and globalization has not only increased consumer choice but also shifted power from producers to consumers. Traditionally, critical success factors such as product leadership, capital

Study Profolio, 4 Topics, 2500 words Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Study Profolio, 4 Topics, 2500 words - Essay Example Mintzberg’s definition of strategy provides a comprehensive idea of organizational structures that are developed on various business strategies. He also provides a number of examples to verify his position on the inter-relation between these definitions of strategy. The organization is perceived as a collective mind whose behavior is regulated or described by the concept of strategy. Therefore, strategy formation focuses on understanding that collective mind. The issues of strategic management are dealt with more substantial account of first person experience in Rosenbluth. He elaborates management dilemmas with special reference to the hospitality industry, and gives a first hand detail of the management aspects of Rosenbluth Travel. Some of the common factors leading to slow growth of the company are: absence of teamwork, overvalued focus on customer, and so on. Rosenbluth offers a precise solution to undertake the management issues in airlines travel. Rosenbluth advocates the importance of technology in organizations. In the context of corporate travel, he suggests the requirement of computerized reservation system for comfortability and easy operability. Moreover, teamwork building is another important aspect that requires the attention of the management in an organization. Rosenbluth points out three most important components for the growth of an organization. The strategic management of the organization should focus on change, people and technology. In order to gain competitive advantage, the management should take care of the enthusiasm among its employees, the relevance of effective training as well as accessibility to more information. Among these factors, importance of employees should be more focused than that of the customers. Because the enthusiastic support of its staff directs the company to effective use of technology and consequential change(s) in the organization. Use of technology is

Impact of the Enron Scandal on Accounting Standards

Impact of the Enron Scandal on Accounting Standards Abstract Every firm and its managers are expected to maximize investor returns while complying with regulatory standards, avoiding principal-agent conflicts of interest, and enhancing the reputational capital of their firms. However, in practices, being ethically is not just about giving large sum of charitys money but recognizing and acting on potential ethical issues before they become legal problems are more important aspects to taking care of. Enron collapsed as the result of unethical management practices such as the equivocation of taxes and fraudulent accounting practices. The Enron scandal is the most significant corporate collapse in the United States since the failure of many savings and loan banks during the 1980s. This scandal demonstrates the need for a close look at the ethical quality of the culture of business generally and of business corporations in the United States. Organization need to infuse ethics and integrity throughout their corporate cultures as well as into their d efinition of success. Unethical and illegal business practices at Enron led to the creation of Serbanes Oxley Act of 2002. This report will discuss and find out illegal and unethical activities, impacts on stakeholders and lessons from the Enron case. The Enron Scandal and Ethical Issues Enron Corporation is an energy trading, natural gas, and electric utilities company located in Houston, Texas that had around 21,000 employees by mid-2001, before it went bankrupt. Its revenue in the year 2000 was more than $100 billion and named as Americas most innovative companies for six consecutive years by Fortune. Enron was a company that was able to profit by providing the delivery of gas to utility companies and businesses at the fair value market price. Enron was listed as the seventh largest company in the United States and had the domination in the trading of communications, power, and weather securities (Corporate Narc, nd). At first sight, Enron looks like an excellent corporate citizen, with all the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business ethics tools in community (Sims Brinkmann, 2003). However, the scandal of Enron has been the largest corporate scandal in history, and has become emblematic of institutionalized and well-planned corporate fraud; the Enron scandal involves both illegal and unethical activities. According to Carroll and Buchholtz (2008), the CFO Jeffrey Skilling and the CEO Ken Lay played major roles in the Enron scandal. Both of them committed securities fraud and conspiracy to inflate profit. In disguise debts of Enron, Lay and Skilling used off-the-books partnerships, after that they lied to investors and employees about the companys disastrous financial situation while selling their own companys shares (Carroll Buchholtz, 2008, p. 256). Enrons top level management has violated several accounting laws, SPE laws, and bent the accounting rules to satisfy their own desires of profit in the short term but ignoring long term repercussions for investors, stockholders, employees and the business itself. The close relationships that were formed among top leading executives and the board of directors grew arrogant, thinking they were invincible and causing them to act in an unethical manner. Enron allowed Andrew Fastow, the Chief Financial Officer to control two SPEs (special pur pose entities) that were knowingly connected to Enron, and gave him an opportunity to abuse his power. Enron also parked some of its debt on the balance sheet of its SPVs and kept it hidden from analysts and investors. When the extent of its debt burden came to light, Enrons credit rating fell and lenders demanded immediate payment in the sum of hundreds of millions of dollars in debt (Sims Brinkmann, 2003). It means that Enrons decision makers saw the shuffling of debt rather as a timing issue and not as an ethical one. They maintained that the company was financially stable and that many of their emerging problems really were not too serious, even though they knew the truth and were making financial decisions to protect their personal gains. No discussion of the Enron scandal would be complete without a discussion of the involvement of Enrons accountants, the firm Arthur Andersen. Arthur Andersen was one of many causes of the Enron collapse when they were the conflict of interest between the two roles played for Enron, as auditor but also as consultant. Andrew Fastow, the Chief Financial Officer of Enron pushed many deals across where he had a vested interested on both sides of the deal. By creating and knowingly participating in these deals, he put his financial greed above the responsibility to his position for the company. According to Paul and Palepu (2003) in 2000, Arthur Andersen earned $25 million in audit fees and $27 million in consulting fees, this amount accounted for roughly 27% of the audit fees of public clients for Arthur Andersens Houston office. The auditors methods were questioned as either being completed solely to receive its annual fees or for their lack of expertise in properly reviewing Enrons reve nue recognition, special entities, derivatives, and other accounting practices. Due to these relationships that Enron had with Arthur Andersen, it was just too easy for both Enron and the accounting firm to work together in covering up financial losses and debt. Andersen was also responsible for some of Enrons internal bookkeeping, with some of Andersens employees eventually leaving to work for Enron. The result of the accounting scandal was that many of the losses that Enron encountered were not reported in its financial statements. In November, 2001, Enron revises financial statements for the previous five years to account for $586 million in losses (Corporate Narc, nd). After a series of scandals involving irregular accounting procedures bordering on fraud involving Enron and its accounting firm Arthur Andersen, it stood at the verge of undergoing the largest bankruptcy in history by mid-November 2001. As Enron was considered a blue chip stock, this was an unprecedented and disastrous event in the financial world. Enrons plunge occurred after it was revealed that many of its profits and revenue were the result of deals with special purpose entities (Corporate Narc, nd). Enrons leaders also ignored, then denied serious problems with their business transactions and were more concerned about their personal financial rewards than those of the company. When the companys stock price began to drop as the problems were becoming public, the company was transitioning from one investment program to another. Impacts on Stakeholders Every business has a moral obligation to serve its stakeholders, whether they are business partners, customers, stockholders, or employees. Enrons bankruptcy has injured several parties including banks, stockholders, former employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and also the United States. Impacts on Employees The first thing, and most important thing the Enron scandal had an effect was the job situation. Carroll and Buchholtz (2008) argued that when Enron went bankrupt and then the Arthur Andersen accounting firm went out of business in 2002, employees were displaced and significantly affected (p. 47). Enrons financial implosion has cost thousands of employees their jobs, left thousands of people still employed by the bankrupt trader and left 5,600 employees jobless and facing retirements with no nest eggs (Carroll Buchholtz, 2008, p. 256). Many employees had their entire pensions vested in Enron stock, Kenneth Lay advised employees keep their Enron stock when the firm was crashing, and he was selling his own. While the employees were unable to sell their stock, Lay and other executives were quickly selling off many of their shares. The lives and savings of thousands employees were destroyed. They also were deprived of the freedom to diversify their retirement portfolios; and they had to stand by helplessly while their retirement savings evaporated at the same time that top managers cashed in on their lucrative stock options. Impacts on Investors and Stockholders As the result of Enron scandal, individual and institutional investors lost millions of dollars because they were misinformed about the firms financial performance reality through questionable accounting practices, and all of the shareholders lost the money that they had invested in the corporation after it went bankrupt. Shareholders lost nearly $11 billion when Enrons stock price, which hit a high of US$90 per share in mid-2000, plummeted to less than $1 by the end of November 2001 (Answers.com, 2010). Investors those who were hurt can never be made totally whole once again after the terrible experiences of Enron. Impacts on the United States and Communities Political parties, such as the Bush administration, who accepted contributions from Enron, were finding themselves in positions where returning the funds to Enron or donating them to a charitable. Enron also affected the United States in several important ways. If anything positive can be said about the Enron scandal, it is that the scandal itself heightened awareness of the importance of integrity in Accounting and business in general, and led to the creation of new safeguards to make sure that something like this would not happen again, or at least not to the full extent of the Enron damage. Enron cynically and knowingly created the phony California electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001. Between 30 percent and 50 percent of Californias energy industry was shut down by Enron a great deal of the time, and up to 76 percent at one point, as the company drove the price of electricity higher by nine times (Corporate Narc, nd). Impacts on Other Stakeholders The Enron scandal also harmed other stakeholders. For example, Enron top managers pressured Arthur Andersen to certify maximum-risk; questionable accounting practices in part to retain their consulting business and, by acceding to this pressure, Arthur Andersen won huge contracts in the short run however ultimately lost their professional credibility and client base. Some investment banks such as Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, and Merrill Lynch made over $200 million in fees from deals that helped Enron and other energy firms boost cash flow and hide debt, and, by failing to exercise their own adequate due diligence, they multiplied the harm done to other stakeholders. Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase in particular appeared to have significant amounts to lose with Enrons fall. Punishment Thousands of aggrieved employees, investors, and other stakeholders were waiting to find out what punishment will be meted out to those who covered up Enrons true financial position so successfully for so long. Three individuals that participated in the various frauds that were committed by Enron included the former president and CEO of Enron, Jeffrey Skilling; former chief financial officer in charge of LJM, Andrew Fastow; founder, former chairman, and CEO, Kenneth Lay. At first, in 2002, Enrons former chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow, and three other current and former Enron executives exercise their Fifth Amendment right not to testify at a congressional hearing. He was charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. It is alleged that Fastow and others devised a scheme to defraud Enron and its shareholders (Cbsnews.com, 2006). Fastow, his wife Lea Fastow and nine other former executives faced 31 more charges and 98 counts of fraud an d they were also indicted on a host of fraud, insider trading, and other counts (Associated Press, 2006). Andrew Fastow pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy. The plea called for a 10-year sentence and his aid in targeting former top Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. Lea Fastow pleaded guilty to filing false tax forms. Finally, in March 2006, Fastow had already pleaded guilty and faced up to 10 years in prison on two counts of conspiracy. Lay and Skilling went on trial for their part in the Enron scandal in January 2006 in Houston. Skilling faced 31 counts ranging from fraud to lying to auditors for allegedly lying about Enrons financial state. Lay faced seven counts of fraud and conspiracy for allegedly perpetuating the scheme. After six days of deliberations, on May 25, 2006 a verdict was reached in the Houston trial of former Enron chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. Skilling was convicted of 19 of 28 counts of securities fraud and wire fraud and acquitted on the remaining nine, including charges of insider trading, making him the highest ranking former executive charged in the collapse of Enron. He was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in prison for his role in one of the biggest corporate scandals in U.S. history (Cbsnews.com, 2006). Lay was convicted of all six counts against him, including conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud and he faced a total sentence of up to 45 years in prison. However, be fore sentencing was scheduled, Lay died on July 5, 2006 due to a heart attack (Answers.com, 2010). Lessons from the Enron Case In the new economic, the Enron scandal has been being the morality lesson. The case will teach executives and the American public the most important ethics lessons. The first lesson it that both individuals and organizations or firms should only earn money by providing goods or services that have real value in the new economic. Moreover, executives who are paid too much can think they are above the rules and can be tempted to cut ethical corners to retain their wealth and perquisites. Every firms need to demonstrate that they have eliminated all off-books accounts which distort the publics understanding of the financial health of the organization and they should to pledge that they will not suspend the companys code of conduct, or at least report to the public when they do. In order for companies to prevent an Enron-like scandal, there needs to be supervision over managers and executives as they exercise their own business judgments about what is in the best interest for an organizat ion. Kirk Hanson (2002), executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, explained that the Enron scandal demonstrates the need for significant reforms in accounting and corporate governance in the United States, as well as for a close look at the ethical quality of the culture of business generally and of business corporations in the United States. Due to the accounting frauds that occurred in the Enron scandal, several accounting firms should reorganize their employees towards remaining loyal to the ethical standards demanded by the SEC. In order for companies to prevent an Enron-like scandal, there needs to be supervision over managers and executives as they exercise their own business judgments about what is in the best interest for an organization. On the other hand, when accounting firms have been moving to sever in both auditing and consulting services for their consulting businesses, the SEC should probably adopt additional disclosure requirements. Government regulat ions and rules need to be updated for the new economy, not relaxed and eliminated. Conclusion Looking at the Enron scandal from the retrospective viewpoint of history, essentially most of the problems faced by Enron derive from the immoral and unethical actions taken on by the board of directors in their attempt to achieve personal profits. The Enron scandal changed the lives of everyone in America and perhaps just as importantly, it forced everyone to look at themselves and fully realize the consequences of reckless greed and the breakage of laws on a whim. Most of individuals and organizations had been receiving proper punishment and lessons for their relevance.

Hundreds Years War Essay -- essays research papers fc

Hundred Years War The definition of the Golden Rule is that those with the gold make the rules. In other words, those with the gold have the power as well as those with the power have the gold. History books will discuss the general reasons for war such as freedom from adversity or freedom from religion. But the real issue for any war is the thirst for power and control; and the means to finance them are the economic issues. Nations will endure years of fighting for power and control. France and England fought each other for more than a hundred years to have control of the Channel trade routes. 1 This century of warring was known as The Hundred Years' War and is the longest war in record history. It began in 1337 when King Edward III invaded Normandy and ended in 1453 when France won the Battle of Bordeaux. However, it was not a hundred years of constant battle; there were periods of truces in between. 2 One cause for the Hundred Years' War was the claim to the French throne. The conflict began when t he direct line of succession died without a male heir and the nobles decided to pass the crown to a cousin, Philip of Valois. But this left two other male cousins equally deserving of the crown; Charles, King of Navarre and Edward III, King of England. 3 Edward III claimed that he himself was deserving of the throne because his mother was the sister of the late French king, while Philip VI was only a cousin. But according to French law, no women could inherit the throne, nor could the crown be inherited through a woman. 4 "Philip of Valois chances of becoming King of France had been remote and he had not been brought up as the future lieutenant of God on Earth. Philip VI spent much of his resources on entertainment and finery with gay abandon." 5 This caused conflict with the king's subjects. Since the king was considered to be sacred and inviolable, neither cousin would challenge Philip VI. However, they would exploit the situation and King Edward III lost no time and inv aded Normandy with an army of 10,000 men. 6 This leads to another cause for The Hundred Years' War. The land along the Channel and Atlantic coasts was England's first line of defense against an invasion. England held claim to this territory from the twelth century through the marriage of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. King Edward III was determined to gain control of the Fr... ...ot;Hundred Years' War." Compton's Online Encyclopedia. 1995. Hutchinson, Harold F. King Henry V. New York: John Day Company, 1967. Palmer, J.J.N. England, France and Christendom. London: University of North Carolina Press, 1972. Vale, M.G.A. English Gascony 1399-1453. London: Oxford University Press, 1970. --- Notes 1. Palmer, J.J.N., England, France and Christendom. London: University of North Carolina Press, 23. 2. "Hundred Years' War." Compton's Online Encyclopedia. 1995. 3. Palmer, 47. 4. "Hundred Years' War" 5. Duby, Georges. France in the Middle Ages 987-1460. Paris: Blackwell, 1987, 274. 6. "Hundred Years' War" 7. Barnie, John. War in Medieval English Society. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1974, 181. 8. Palmer, 120. 9. "Hundred Years' War" 10. Barnie, 219. 11. Duby, 233. 12. "Hundred Years' War" 13. Palmer, 161. 14. "Hundred Years' War" 15. Barnie, 25. 16. Hutchinson, Harold F. King Henry V. New York: John Day Company, 1967, 214. 17. Hutchinson, 214. 18. Barnie, 245. 19. "Hundred Years' War" 20. Vale, M.G.A. English Gascony 1399-1453. London: Oxford University Press, 1970, 165. 21. Vale, 215.

Analysis of ‘Diptych’ Essay

‘Diptych’, by Robert Gray is a free verse poem in which imagery is used to invoke feelings, but also specifically influence a reader’s first impression of character. Throughout the poem Robert Gray has swayed natural speech, used strong imagery and also included poetic tone to create a poem which allows insight to his childhood. Robert Gray has explored his parent’s struggles during their marriage, in the poem ‘Diptych’. He likens his childhood experiences to a diptych hinge, which is a painting, photograph or drawing hinged in two separate parts, the joint cannot function without both parts. The poem has two separated sections, one which addresses Gray’s feelings towards his mother and the other aimed at his memories of his father. The two parts of the poem are very different and the reader is influenced during the poem by the tone and language which Gray uses. He displays his mother as a warm and caring woman, she acts based on her emotions and this is shown through her marriage and her ability to take care of things that needed to be done. To communicate his emotions, the first part of the poem, which addresses his mother, has a sympathetic poetic tone. In the second section Gray’s father is displayed as quite opposite to his wife, he is portrayed to not be fuelled by emotions and rather by manners and the preservation of his reputation. Throughout the poem Grays parents are shown to be quite opposites of each other, yet they also have a mutuality in their relationship. The example of his parents allows Gray to communicate to the reader how people may be close to each other but entirely unalike. Gray has used poetic techniques such as punctuation, asides and a careful choice of words to convey meaning to the reader in his poem, ‘Diptych’. The portrait of his mother explores her strengths in the family, she is able to hold off a bull in her garden, ‘†¦she forced it, through the broken fence, it bellowing†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The use of words like ‘forced’ display her strength and show her duty of care. A sympathetic emotion is expressed with the words, ‘†¦stay awake in our old weatherboard house’, they communicate to the reader, his mother’s ability to show affection and place others above herself even when she is unhappy with the situation. An example of use of punctuation is shown in the part ‘†¦. This other night, my mother was reluctant to go out, and leave us kids asleep, and fell asleep herself†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ this punctuation gives insight to the anxiety and worry of the situation. In the opening lines Gray has portrayed his father as unfavourable in comparison to his mother. The asides, added to include more information, aid in the portrayal. For example the inclusion of the car crash story as well as mention of his father’s drinking, ‘†¦in his state†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ convey unpleasant feelings to the reader. The poem allows readers to feel the emotions which Robert Gray felt as a child. The struggles and differences between his parents have been highlighted by the specific use of punctuation and language. The form and structure of ‘Diptych’ greatly contribute to the meaning of the poem. Firstly the poem is visually placed in two parts, 1 and 2, which display an extreme change in the poem. Gray has used this to firstly talk of his mother, and then in part 2 discuss his father. The two sections of the poem are separated by the numbers, but are linked together; this is a representation of both a diptych hinge and the relationship between Gray’s parents. This structure adds to the influences Gray has over the reader of the poem, the gap between his parents is made clearer when their descriptions are not place together. The structure is another example of how Gray has been able to convey his emotions and a concept more clearly to a reader. The form throughout the poem follows no poetic structure. ‘Diptych’ is a free verse poem, and so the structure of it does not have a specific order, it is instead structure to become more dialectical. Gray has also placed words on detached lines as to be read in a way which follows natural and conversational speech. In some cases he has used this pause or separation of words to have a difference of placement allowing the reader to gain more information about what he has conveyed. The structure and form of the poem ‘Diptych’ has specifically been used to convey a stronger meaning to the reader. Robert Gray has effectively conveyed the emotions involved in his parents struggling marriage in the poem ‘Diptych’. He has also addressed the issues involved between people who are different to each other, and yet who are often in close proximity. ‘Diptych’ is a free verse poem in which Gray has correctly used imagery and poetic techniques to communicate his personal emotions to a reader.