When a Man Loves a Woman - 809 Words

Name: Date: August 1, 2006 Course/Level/Section: BSN IV- H1 Adviser: Mrs. Theorose Bustillo Reaction Paper â€Å"The Notebook† At first, when the movie showed the past details of the characters, it was boring. You cannot appreciate the movie if you don’t reach the end part. It portrayed an old man whose love to her wife is measured till eternity. Love was a never ending journey. Loving her wife is part of his life. As long as his heart is still beating, love still survives. To his last breath, he still shared his love to her wife. The setting of the film was also an old and classical feature. It showed a typical place of people wearing dress and cars whose designs are present in our museums. The wife at†¦show more content†¦She then saw a picture of a house for sale with the guy selling it. He felt shocked and collapsed after she saw the picture. Because of that incident, the wedding was postponed. She then asked for time and space to his future husband for settling things first. She went back to the guy that she first fell in love with. They met with each other. They have their first impressions. These impressions involved love and faith that it can still work put. Then came the dilemma. The girl was confused on who to choose. The guy whom she first shared her love that only her parents are the reason why they separated or the guy who helped her coped from her emotional problem then later developed loved. He picked the first guy. And at the end, she never had regrets. When they aged with their lives, the wife suffered from a chronic mental disorder whose clinical description is Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is characterize by a continuous loss of memory both the short and the long term memory. It progresses until the person dies. Good for the wife because she wrote her memories with his husband on a diary. The diary where composed of past moments that they have shared with each other when they where still young. With this diary, the husband continues to read it, hoping that he can help cure her wife from the disease. She reads the d iary day by day having the same content. Sad to say, there is no treatment to this kind of disease. The wife cannotShow MoreRelatedWhen A Man Loves A Woman1190 Words   |  5 Pages When a Man Loves a Woman Movie Media Review Taylor Drake University of Maryland University College The codependent person works hard to control the behavior of their partner and, in doing so forgets what the roles and responsibilities are of each person in the relationship. When the relationship roles and responsibilities become blurred due to codependency, the relationship has just became one sided and could lead to over attachment or abuse which then can become an emotionallyRead MoreThe Movie When A Man Loves A Woman 1475 Words   |  6 PagesThe movie ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ is a 1994 romantic drama that portrays a married couple where the wife, Alice Green (a school counselor), displays alcohol use abuse (â€Å"When a Man Loves a Woman†, n.d.). According to the movie’s Wikipedia page, the main character that displays alcoholism is actress, Meg Ryan and her husband, whom is a pilot, in the movie is actor, Andy Garcia. Together they raised two daughters. One day Alice arrived home really drunk and became violent. Due to that behavior,Read More When a Man Loves a Woman Essay501 Words   |  3 PagesWhen A Man Loves A Woman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is a movie that has many real-life relationship problems in it. Alice, the main character has an alcohol problem and because of her problem, she puts her entire family through many hard times. There are four things that can harm a relationship the most, and all of them are done by Alice. At first Alice starts to criticize Alex. She gives him a hard time for many things, including his character. She is hurtful in telling him that he is not doing the right thingsRead MoreAnalysis Of When A Man Loves A Woman 1196 Words   |  5 PagesIn the film, When a Man Loves a Woman, Meg Ryan plays the character Alice Green. Alice is a wife, mother, and school counselor. She is married to the handsome and consistently dependable airline pilot, Michael, played by Andy Garcia. The film illustrates how alcoholism affects a family. Despite the fact that Alice is an exciting and fun person, she is often reckless when drunk and very negligent to her children. She has a dif ficult relationship with her mom, and alluded that her dad drank excessivelyRead MoreThe Movie When A Man Loves A Woman870 Words   |  4 Pages The movie When A Man Loves A Woman depicts the journey of Alice, a mom, wife, and alcoholic as she comes to term with her disease, and seeks treatment. At the beginning of the movie, it is not easy to tell that Alice does in fact struggle with alcohol addiction. She is a lively and energetic lady that has a large sense of humor that seems to be equally shared with her husband, Michael. As the movie progresses, it shows the fear and worry that her oldest daughter, Jess, has about her mother andRead MoreFamily Dynamics : When A Man Loves A Woman Essay1653 Words   |  7 PagesFamily Dynamics: When a Man Loves a Woman The movie When a Man Loves a Woman is about a couple and how their lives and the lives of their two young girls change because of addiction. The article entitled Family Functioning in Families with Alcohol and Other Drug Addictions talks about four major themes that are present in families that suffer from addiction. This paper will look at the family dynamics of the Green family from When a Man Loves a Woman and also discuss how the research results fromRead MoreMovie Analysis : When A Man Loves A Woman889 Words   |  4 Pages Released in the summer of 1994, the movie â€Å"When a Man Loves a Women† produced by Touchstone Pictures’ producer Jon Avnet created a film that touches on a female alcoholic. This film included stars like Meg Ryan, Andy Garcia, and Lauren Tom. An airline pilot played by Garcia as Michael and his wife Alice portrayed by Ryan are forced to deal with her alcoholism. Within this family it includes that of her two children and the nanny (Laure n Tom). The film offers several hinting scenes to Alice’sRead MoreSonnet 30 Analysis934 Words   |  4 PagesMisleading Love Although love can be kind and beautiful, it can cause some people to become blind and follow their hearts rather than think with their mind. â€Å"Sonnet 30† by Edmund Spenser dramatizes the conflict of a man’s burning desire to be with a woman who has no interest in him. Edmund Spenser uses the metaphorical comparisons of dramatically opposites, fire and ice. The man is fire, who is obsessed for this ice cold hearted woman, which returns nothing. The poem explains why this man can’t getRead MoreEssay about Copmaring Shakespeares Sonnets 116 and 1471489 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeares Sonnets 116 and 147 Light/Dark. Comfort/Despair. Love/Hate. These three pairs of words manage to sum up William Shakespeares Sonnet 116 and Sonnet 147, while also demonstrating the duality of Shakespeares heart. Sonnet 116 reveals to a careful reader the aspects of Shakespeares concept of what ideal love is. However, Sonnet 147 shows the danger of believing in this ideal form of love. These two sonnets perfectly complement and clarify each other while alsoRead MoreA Story About The Body946 Words   |  4 Pages A Story About The Body is about a man who think he has fallen in love with an almost sixty-year-old woman. Both the younger man and the woman work at an artist’s colony during the summer. The woman was a Japanese painter, and the man was a composer. The woman’s art captivated the man, the way she moved her body and her hands. It states, â€Å"He loved her work, and her work was like the way she moved her body, used her hands, looked at him directly when she made amused and c onsidered answers to his questions

Hunger of Memory Essay - 595 Words

In Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez situates his individual experiences with education in such a way as to expose what he sees as the fallacious logic behind bilingual education and affirmative action. He uses arguments to propagate the systematic problems with such programs. His autobiography explains in great detail the entangling problems all American children face by instituting bilingual programs and affirmative action endorsements. Bilingual education offers a completely different world for students of different ethnic background and thus creates a comfort zone limiting the risk-taking factor necessary for the maturation of a child to an adult. Rodriguez argues supporters of bilingualism fail to realize while one suffers a†¦show more content†¦Bilingual education, as Rodriguez states, romanticizes public separateness and trivializes the dilemma of the socially disadvantaged. Rodriguezs autobiography also portrays the social and economic problems with affirmative action for the privileged minority student. He reports, In the late 1960s nonwhite Americans clamored for access to higher education, and I became a principal beneficiary of the academys response, its programs of affirmative action (143). Ironically, the author now regrets having been involved with (or forced into) accepting the assistance these programs offered: For me there is no way to say it with grace. I say it rather with irony sharpened with self-pity. I say it with anger. It is a term that should never have been foisted on me. One I was wrong to accept (143). Potential students from the lowest socioeconomic groups were not even considered by institutions of higher learning simply because the colleges only looked at the boxes checked on applications, and not the actual students financial needs. The author explains, Most blacks simply couldnt afford tuition for higher education. And, beca use the primary and secondary schooling blacks received was usually poor, few qualified for admission. Many were so culturally alienated that they never thought to apply; they couldnt even imagine themselves going toShow MoreRelatedHunger of Memory2061 Words   |  9 PagesHunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodrà ­guez Hunger of Memory is an autobiography of the writer Richard Rodrà ­guez and his transition from youth to manhood told through a series of recollected stories. The premise of his writing was centered mainly on his struggle to maintain both his Mexican heritage and closeness to his Spanish-speaking family, while at the same time being assimilated into American culture and obtaining an advanced education. Within the book Richard Rodrà ­guezRead More Hunger Of Memory Essay628 Words   |  3 Pages The theme of separation is an important development in the novels Hunger of Memory and How the Garcia Girls lost their Accent. The novels deal with separation differently. For Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, the separation allows Richard to move from the private world to the public world. Here, separation is a movement for a solution, which is citizenship. In How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accent by Julia Alvarez, the separation is an effect from Antojo. Richard Rodriguez immediately recognizesRead MoreHunger of Memory Precis1278 Words   |  6 PagesMolina 1 English 116 Professor J. Flynn November 06, 2013 To Care or Not to Care: Obamacare For the past years, our country’s health care programs have been asked and petitioned to be improved. President Obama took action into account and decided it was time for our nation to have an affordable and well operated health care program, known as Obamacare. A bill that would allow us to grow and succeed at an affordable cost, but to what expense? Obamacare has severe consequences that willRead MoreHunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez1011 Words   |  4 Pages To be an ethnic American is a culture all on its own. Hunger of memory by Richard Rodrà ­guez gives an insight into the rarely viewed world. A person that no longer falls into either category of family or American community. Such an individual is stuck between two worlds, in which two different cultures collide yet form a rift through family, language and education. Family is the first thing anybody grows to know. You become familiarized with the traditions and the people of the unit. In the caseRead MoreHunger Of Memory By Richard Rodriquez1268 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican soil. Anything from racial discrimination or bias at work, in neighborhoods, at school, etc., can all be challenges that people encounter when making a move to the U.S. Such challenges are described by Richard Rodriquez in his autobiography Hunger of Memory. In this passage, he explains how cultural differences between Mexican and American ways of life have shaped him into the person that he is today. He also chooses to highlights the problems that he faces growing up in a predominately white neighborhoodRead MoreHunger of Memory, by Richard Rodriguez1459 Words   |  6 Pagesas a main struggle for Richard Rodriguez, Luis Rodriguez, Sandra Cineros, and Victor Villasenor and Avtavio Paz. Their writing reflects clear pictures about the challenges and the problems they face to keep going on with their objectives. In Hunger of Memory, by Richard Rodriguez, the author writes his autobiography talking about his life when he was in elementary school. His story starts when his family immigrated to the United State when he was a very young. The author is shy and not confidentRead MoreHunger of Memory: Religion Essay667 Words   |  3 PagesHunger of Memory: Religion Rodriguez is very open about Catholicism and the identities and views that he has had in his life both as a child and now as an adult. He begins by explaining how as a child, the Church had a profound impact on his everyday life. The Church had â€Å"an extraordinarily physical presence† in Rodriguez’s early life as he had a church and a catholic school both within one block in either direction of his home (Rodriguez pg 85). As a young boy, Rodriguez’s first taste of churchRead MoreHunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez620 Words   |  2 PagesIn Richard Rodriguez autobiography, Hunger of Memory, Richard himself writes about his educational journey. Rodriguez wrote such book in 1982. The book revolves around the life a young immigrant child, whom has a difficult time understanding how to adapt himself in the given environment. Furthermore, the book navigates the readers though Richards transition form boyhood to adulthood. Not only so, but Richard discusses h ow the opportunities that were presented to him altered his viewpoints in lifeRead More`` Hunger Of Memory `` By Taghreed Alhaddab Essay1829 Words   |  8 Pageseducation and social mobility have a connection has been around for many years, with people having different views and perspectives on this topic. Some may say the two has no relation at all, while some, like Richard Rodriguez in his autobiography, Hunger of Memory, may presents his argument that education plays a role in social mobility but because of other factors such as affirmative action, obtaining a higher education, after all, does not necessarily mean upward mobility. The purpose of affirmativeRead MoreEducation In Richard Rodriguezs The Hunger Of Memory977 Words   |  4 PagesRichard Rodriguez, the author of â€Å"The Hunger of Memory,† is a Mexican man who rose above prejudices to become a distinguished member of society through education. Sherman Alexie, the author of â€Å"Superman and Me,† is a Native American man who grew up on an Indian reservation with a love of books and a penchant for learning in an attempt to exceed further than the predetermined path set in front of him. Rodriguez perceives education as something that has built a division between him and his family but

The Effects Of Sleep On Our Lives - 2059 Words

Research Paper Abstract: What is sleep in our lives for? Sleep is something that every single living thing on the planet has been proven to need. Whether it is a tiny bacteria organism or a gorilla, all of them need it, but what is really awkward is how scientists are yet to discover the reason for why it is needed. Theories have scratched the surface that it is for the brain to do â€Å"jobs,† that the body is restoring it’s own energy, or that maybe our body just loves it too much to not have it! As scientists all over the world continue to hypothesize and take studies, but what mainly sticks out into the eyes of those scientists is how bodies react to sleep deprivation or oversleeping. To tackle this question myself, I have kept records on†¦show more content†¦Through my research, I have found studies and articles on what people have theorized and evaluated in the lab room to make a conclusion of my own. Sleep is important and shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially because what goes on in the brain is so awesome it’s still inconclusive. Looking at things logically, our body needs sleep. This can easily be proven by the fact that our organs stop working if you miss 10 days of sleep compared to the 14 days it takes starvation to kill you, and how not eating food with have us lose all of its nutrients, shows it’s obviously an important thing. And then the feeling of a good night’s sleep gives us that refreshing feeling, but that is just the basics and it scratches the surface for scientists when they try to look into the brain and find out why we must sleep every night. So far, it’s only one thing that all scientists can come to a conclusion on, and that is the fact that they themselves do not know why we sleep even after the fact that they have been studying it for years on end now. So to dig a bit deeper, what is going on inside of our brain when we sleep? Well, when we are sleeping, there are two phases, and those can be stated by Graham Lawton in his cover story, â€Å"rapid eye movement sleep (REM), when the eyes flick from side to side, the brain is very active and most dreaming occurs, and non-REM, which is a deeper

Personal and Team Effectiveness in Health Care

Question: Explain the effect of conflict in workplace or between colleagues at work. Answer: Scenario/Background setting The conflict is between Kawal and Kuldeep. Both came for an interview in a hospital and were selected for the nursing job by Jenish. Jenish decided to choose both of them. Both joined the ABS hospital together and became the close friend. After two months in the hospital, a conflict occurred in the emergency department of a hospital. Atinder another nurse was busy in mobile; Jenish noticed that Atin did not attend to the patient in need of emergency help. So she called her to ask if she is interested in working here. She explained that she thought Kawal was going to attend the patient, so she did not go. Jenish clarified that since both had the same responsibility, both of them need to be present in the emergency department. Atinder apologized for her future carelessness. Next day when Pratik came, Atinder sarcastically remarked that Kawal was the future manager nurse. Pratik understood that there was some problem with two nurses. Pratik complained about the conflict between the two nurses to the doctor. Jenish called both of them and advised them to be professional and not create a big issue. Again Atinder explained the whole thing explaining that she had some problem, so she was busy on the mobile. She told that Kawal should have called her, but she went alone. So she felt that she was scolded by Jenish unnecessarily, and she felt terrible about it. Effects of the Conflict The above scenario about the conflict between two nurses is an example of how it can affect the performance of individual, team and organization. In the above example, we see that the conflict between two nurses was unnecessary. Both had a conflict for the very small reason. Kawal could have called her while she was on call while Atinder should not have indulged herself in mobile conversation while on duty. She should have been more attentive while dealing with patients in the emergency department. Therefore, it is seen that in professional practice, conflict in workforce creates a lot of problems (Schmidt et al., 2014). Discord between individuals reduces team unity and ability to work as a team. This has an effect on team performance. In the case of above example, we can see that the carelessness of the nurse will have an impact on patient's health. It will be a cause of great inconvenience to them. Conflicts lead to distraction from individuals' task. It can result in the delay in their task and affect their performance. Improper communication between colleagues could lead to inattentive behavior in work. It creates tension and frustration among team members. The team member satisfaction level decreases due to workplace conflict and leads to bad judgment. Due to conflict, some individual even withdraw from the team. In this case, the organization suffers. They need to appoint new person immediately for the same task. It takes some time, and the workflow of the team is affected. It will create resource scarcity were other team members will find difficult to achieve work goals and objectives. If the issue is not solved, then a team fails completely in their task (de Wit et al., 2013). Conflict Resolution Process/ Rationale There are various ways to manage conflict in the organization. It requires a negotiated solution to the conflict. The first step in conflict resolution is identifying the reason for the disagreement among team members. Like in the above case, Jenish tried to enquire about the matter from both Kawal and Atinder. During this step, each person's point of view should be considered. The HR or a manager needs to understand what needs are not met on both sides and accordingly ensure mutual understanding. Secondly, it should be made clear to both parties that they work together to achieve common goals. Therefore, they should give more focus on these goals. In the above scenario, Jenish made it clear to both nurses that they both need to be present in the emergency department (Abu-Nimer, 2012). The manager can organize team members to meet the common goal by effective communication, listening and brainstorming. A vital goal is to identify barriers in the process. If the two parties reveal wha t has brought them into conflict, solutions can be taken out. It is necessary to make an agreement between both sides to resolve the dispute. The manager can ask conflicting groups regarding what steps could resolve their issue. After deciding the solution, it should be acknowledged both the conflicting parties. Both sides also have a responsibility in a resolution of the conflict (Moore, 2014). Evaluating consequences From the role played by nurse above, we realized that any conflict in the workplace can be eliminated only if involved parties are willing to resolve the issue (Barsky, 2014). Atinder had a problem with Kawal. Jenish advised her to be professional in attitude. The matter was small, instead of developing grudges against Kawal, she should have talked about this with Atinder. She should also realize that it was her fault too as she was careless in her professional responsibility and she cannot blame others for that. Therefore, it can be concluded that conflict in workplace unavoidable, but we can take steps to recognized conflict and resolve them. Miscommunication and emotions drive often lead to conflict. A manager looking into this issue should have leadership skill to define acceptable behavior at the workplace and penalizing those going against it (Ralph et al., 2013). Conclusion From the completed study on the issue of conflict in workplace, it can be concluded that conflict in inherent in work environment. No one can eliminate it completely, but one should take care not to make the matter too big. If two parties understand the effect the conflict will have on their organization, then can always avoid it or solve the problem by mutual resolving of the matter. Reference Abu-Nimer, M. (2012).Dialogue, conflict resolution, and change: Arab-Jewish encounters in Israel. SUNY Press. Barsky, A. (2014).Conflict resolution for the helping professions. Oxford University Press. de Wit, F. R., Jehn, K. A., Scheepers, D. (2013). Task conflict, information processing, and decision-making: The damaging effect of relationship conflict.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,122(2), 177-189. Moore, C. W. (2014).The mediation process: Practical strategies for resolving conflict. John Wiley Sons. Ralph, N., Welch, A. J., Norris, P., Irwin, R. (2013). Reflections on power, conflict and resolution for the perioperative environment. Schmidt, S., Roesler, U., Kusserow, T., Rau, R. (2014). Uncertainty in the workplace: Examining role ambiguity and role conflict, and their link to depressiona meta-analysis.European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,23(1), 91-106.

Romeo And Juliet Modern Essays - Romeo And Juliet, Juliet

Romeo And Juliet Modern For my English creative writing assignment, I have chosen to do a letter correspondence between a modern Romeo and Juliet. I have turned the play around a bit, and it differs from the original story. Near the end of the play, the Capulets discover Juliet and Romeo's marriage and forbid her to see him ever again. Juliet then marries Paris, but sends one last word to her beloved Romeo. Below, is her letter. Romeo, I'm really upset that our parting had to be so sudden into our marriage, and that our wedding night had to end so suddenly. With thoughts of you still in my mind, I rushed home to finish off what I never got the chance to say to you in the form of a letter while your beautiful face is still very clear in my mind. Romeo, I know you, and how you react and how you think. So I know your first instinct will be to pretend the reality of these past few days never happened. You will want to rip up and throw away this letter, trying to hide from the situation. But please, I am asking of you, if you loved, love or are in love with me then do not. For my sake. Seriously, I will be starting from the beginning, the truth. When I first laid my eyes on you at the ball at my mansion just days ago, I thought you were the most beautiful creature God could have ever possibly created. What we had was difficult. Romeo, I have gone and will continue to go through everything for you. I am now living in a different city and with a different man because of you and I am sure we both know that this is the worst place I could possibly be. I have devoted my life to you and not for one minute do I ever regret any of it. I've been trying to convince myself that what happened over these past couple of days never happened at all. Since the past week, I've done nothing but think about us. I love you so much Romeo, too much. At this point in time I can't even imagine picking up my life and moving on without you in it. Fate, I believe is what brought us together. It also was what tore us apart. Romeo, everything happens for a reason. I hope that one fine day fate will kick in and destiny will bring you back to me. One day. Take good care of yourself so I don't have to worry too much about you. I really wish that our UN-dying love would help us over this hurdle once more. A piece of me has died with our parting. I love you, and Romeo, I will never forget you. Your Bright Angel, your shining star, Juliet C. Juliet, I couldn't sleep at all last night. Reading your letter just erupted my feelings all over again, to you I write. Please understand me. We were made for each other. Everyone goes through tough times and they usually end up hating each other, but last night when I was walking back to Verona, and even when I was arguing with you, I didn't hate you at all. What I felt was totally different. It was fear that I was going to loose You. I didn't think I was going to lose you, but I was really scared that I might. I tried not to cry and I through my emotions aside. All I felt for you was love. I make promises to you that things will be different soon, and we will find a way to reconcile our marriage and I don't blame you for doubting them. You haven't even seen them! That is totally unreasonable. You were right in your letter, I hope fate will one day help us through these tragic times. I think I should keep acting as if you are still my wife because then and only then will you see, and feel How much I love you. These last few days I have been trying to convince myself that I hated you for what you did with Paris, but I couldn't. There is nothing that I hate about you. In a working relationship you don't hide feelings like these under the carpet. I glad you told me everything in your letter, and I think that things will work out, but only time will

Investment Term Paper

Investment Term Paper Executive SummaryIn the Spring of 2000, Gateway executives had increasingly focused on moving their revenue streams beyond the box, that is, away from a dependence on PC product sales toward PC solutions sales. These solutions include training, content, customer financing, and Internet services. This concentration on growth through diversification comes as a reaction to declining market share and a response to increasing competitive pressure, particularly from market rival Dell. In 2000, Dell and Gateway were the fifth and sixth largest PC-manufacturers in the world, respectively.The purpose of this paper is to examine Gateway transition from a PC-manufacturer to a solutions provider, provide an overview and analysis of the market situation and the company's hexagon strategy, and observe whether this strategy is sufficient to stem the erosion of their market share and reposition Gateway as a market leader.Industry BackgroundThe personal computer market is a huge and dynamic industry that is quite possibly the fastest paced industry in the world.Photo of HP Tablet PC running MS Windows Tablet Ed...Due to the different levels of organization, it I difficult to classify the industry as a whole, however, the existence of a few small firms controlling the market puts the personal computer market in the category of competitive monopoly. There are hundreds, if not more, firms involved in a market that extends from the electronic components used in PCs to the thousands of software titles that make otherwise useless silicon wafers execute miracles to the armies of service workers trying to maintain existing systems. Working independently from each other, these firms provide the user with a completed product that was unthinkable 20 years ago. With the many firms competing in the industry, there are only a few dozen that are constantly acknowledged as major players, and of those only a handful successfully influence the direction of the market.

Poetry Rhythm And Metre †Part 1

Poetry Rhythm And Metre – Part 1 Poetry Rhythm And Metre Part 1 Poetry Rhythm And Metre Part 1 By Simon Kewin Previous poetry writing tips have looked at rhyme and alliteration. Another fundamental aspect of poetic language is its rhythm. This post is the first of two that will look at this topic and the related notion of metre (or, if you prefer, meter). In the English language, rhythm is created by a series of stressed and unstressed syllables. This is something we all do quite naturally when we speak, often without even realizing we are doing it. In the word â€Å"poetry†, for example, most readers would naturally stress the first syllable and not the second or third. Using capitalization to indicate the stressed syllable you could spell the word out like this : PO-e-try. Saying it with different stresses – po-E-try or po-e-TRY – will probably sound completely wrong. The poet has always to have an ear for how her or his words will sound when read out aloud. As with rhyme, the reader will automatically pick out any repeated patterns in the words of a poem and react to them. The words will start to sound more musical, more significant. More attention will be paid to stressed syllables and this, perhaps in combination with rhyme or another device, will lend weight to certain words and ideas. To illustrate the use of rhythmic language in poetry, take for example the opening lines from Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard: The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd winds slowly oer the lea, Chances are, most readers would read those lines with these stressed syllables : The CURfew TOLLS the KNELL of PARting DAY, The LOWing HERD winds SLOWly Oer the LEA, As you can see, the pattern is very regular. The lines consist of a repeated pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Gray has chosen each word with great care, to ensure that they fit into this rhythm. The rhythm is not arbitrary; rather it reflects the meaning of the words. Its slow regularity chimes well with the sound of the ringing bell (the â€Å"curfew†) and also with the plodding steps of the cattle as they trudge home. Where there is a clear pattern like this throughout a poem, this is referred to as the poem’s metre. This doesn’t necessarily mean that a poem has to slavishly follow that pattern. Some poetry dispenses with metre completely – for example Anglo-Saxon verse (such as Beowulf) or more modern free verse. But, even where there is a metre, poets will often depart from it to a degree, for example dropping or adding syllables here and there, perhaps to make the language sound more naturalistic. The metre may be considered the primary rhythm of a poem, but variations to it can still be introduced. You’ll find the ear can still pick out an overall rhythmic effect even when there is quite a lot of variation from it. This can be a fine balance to strike for the poet. Poetry that follows its metre too slavishly can start to sound sing-song and comic. Too little adherence to the metre and the musical effect of the rhythm is lost. Consider, for example, the following lines from the opening of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 : Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love If you read this out aloud you should able to hear an overall metre similar to that of Gray. At the same time, there is considerable variation and a strictly metrical reading would sound very odd. Shakespeare was well aware of his metre but allowed himself to deviate from it. There are, in fact, numerous standard metres often employed by poets, and some useful terms to get to grips with to discuss them. These will be looked at in a subsequent post. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"Best Websites to Learn English