Decision Making Self-Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Decision Making Self-Analysis - Assignment Example These two are the most basic models of decision making that inspire the whole process (Elham, 2010). The rational model involves four stages that ought to be followed when making decisions. These steps comprise of identifying the problem, developing solutions, choosing a solution and executing as well as assessing the solution. These four stages represent the whole decision making process and provide for the necessary dynamics that guarantee the effectiveness of the process. Each stage in the rational model is of immense significance to the holistic process and should therefore be approached with care in order to achieve effective results. This model has some shortcomings including the absence of sufficient information that hinders decision making and the reality that a problem could transform within a short period of time (Schoorman & Acker-Hocevar, 2010). The normative model indicates that decision making has a number of components that characterize its application. Among these fea tures include restricted information processing, judgmental heuristics along with satisficing. Limited information processing underscores that fact that at any given time only a restricted degree of data can be used or processed for decision making. Judgmental heuristics, on the other hand, involves that consideration for purposes of decision making shortcuts are applied to make the process simpler. Satisficing on the other hand implies the selection of solutions that are more convenient and satisfy minimum requirements (Elham, 2010). Each model has strengths and weaknesses, which point towards their effectiveness and applicability in the vast process of decision making. The rational model is more practical and is effective in dealing with problems that require a substantive decision for the long term. However, this model does not take into account some of the realities of decision making like the absence of adequate information along with the changing nature of problems. The normat ive model is convenient when dealing with challenging situation that need creativity and distinctiveness in order to develop the solution but could be disastrous when applied on practical and rational situations. How to Self-Assess Decision-Making Styles Self-assessment is a crucial parameter in the field of decision making because it provides for room through which the decision maker can evaluate their decision. There are various styles of decision making that apply to different situations and serve a different purpose. Each style of decision making has a unique approach to decision making in the sense that each has a distinct set of parameters that govern the process of making a decision. Therefore, in considering the various methods of self-assessment each style of decision making must be considered in order to optimize the results. Since each style has different methods of approach, it is obvious that the methods of self-evaluation change with each respective style (Schoorman & Acker-Hocevar, 2010). As a result, it is actually impossible to self evaluate a decision or the process of making a decision without being aware of the style applied in the process. Therefore, for the decision maker to evaluate his decision or the process applied the key consideration is the relevant decision making style. Once the style has been factored it becomes convenient for

Accounting Equation Paper Essay Example for Free

Accounting Equation Paper Essay The basic accounting equation is: Assets = Liabilities + Stockholders’ Equity. When looking at the balance sheet one can assume that assets must balance out each transaction and balance the claims to the assets (Kimmel, 2010). A balance sheet provides Assets of the company first and foremost, then Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity and last retained earnings. This shows the companies incoming money, outgoing payments, and the money left or retained at the end of each time period being documented on the balance sheet. The components of the accounting equation affect each other in many ways. For example, when cash assets are received the company is making profit only as long as it is making more revenue than the liabilities owed. So, when using the Sierra Corporation on pg. 14 from the text the company has to pay the Liabilities: Notes payable, Accounts payable, Salaries payable, Unearned Service revenue, and Interest prior to ever turning a profit above the black. When looking at a balance sheet one needs to know all incoming as well as outgoing money to determine profitability and sustainability of a corporation. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay Next, when looking at a balance sheet the liabilities + the stockholder’s Equity have to ALWAYS balance out to amount of assets to ensure all things are accounted for and there are no accounting errors. When done properly the balance sheet can be used to verify the company’s revenue and the financial stability of a company based upon debt to stockholders’ equity. References: Kimmel, P. D., Weygandt, J. J., Kieso, D. E. ( 2010). Financial accounting: Tools for business decision making (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons.

Financial Decision Making, Easyjet in comparison with Ryanair

Financial Decision Making, Easyjet in comparison with Ryanair The purpose of this report is to prepare an analysis of the financial performance and position of Easyjet plc in comparison with that of Ryanair plc. The CORE model approach was used in preparing a review of each airlines annual accounts with selected ratios applied to evaluate compare, contrast their financial performance. An analysis of Easyjet plc performance and position against Ryanair plc confirms the following key findings. The principal finding from this report is that the current finance strategy for Ryanair plc is not sustainable in the long term. Easyjet plc diversification into ancillary activities has incurred costs which will be recouped over a period of time and reflect a positive investment strategy during and after the economic downturn. Furthermore, Easyjet will achieve additional savings if an optimum hedging policy is implemented during the current economic downturn. Introduction An appreciation of the European airline industry was considered in relation to Easyjet plc current financial positioning and brand recognition as the preferred low cost airline provider. The financial performance and position of Easyjet plc was appraised against Ryanair plc through application of the CORE (Context, Overview, Ratio, Evaluation) model. Context establishes the market share and European airline environment from an internal and external perspective that the two plcs operate and compete within. Overview is an appraisal of the financial performance between the two Plcs in relation to similar operational activities and qualifying their accounts and strategic approach during the current economic downturn. Ratio analysis establishes the relationship between stated totals within the Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement and Income Statement to establish the base of Evaluation for financial performance between Easyjet plc (Easyjet) and Ryanair plc (Ryanair). Evaluation of the two accounts is an integrative component of the CORE approach based upon the three previous stages to assist with identifying an overall conclusion from the analysis. The overall conclusion may then be drawn as to the degree of success of the organisation in terms of the implementation of the corporate strategy for customer, competitors and suppliers according to the specific focus of the analysis (Moon Bates, 1993). Context (Internal): Each airline as their primary activity provides international and regional low cost airline fares within the European airline industry. Both airlines are recognised within the market and operationally focussed towards a low-fare strategy. Sustainability and success of providing low cost airline fares is critically dependent upon retaining a low cost base especially during the current economic downturn to protect long-term viability. The global duopoly of Boeing and Airbus within the European airline industry influences the high fixed costs relative to variable costs that is inherent to airline pricing and generates the operational focus towards retaining a low cost base. Reducing operational costs provides each airline with flexibility to offer lower ticket fares, issue dividend shares or retain earnings for future investment as part of their competitive advantage over a rival (Brassinton Pettit, 1997). From a media perspective and operational approach, Ryanair has successful introduced a low cost base through staff optimisation and promoting www.ryanair.com for online ticket sales. Application of the airlines website can provide an integrated marketing communications strategy as well as introducing an effective management information system to co-ordinate revenue activities. Ryanair is reputed to have achieved  £22 million pounds in reduced sales and distribution costs through application of their web-based management information system (Done, 2008). Additional operational savings to establish a low cost base have been generated through Ryanairs standardisation of their airline fleet to Boeing 737s. Standardisation provides lower staff training and maintenance costs due to familiarity and inventory considerations. Both airlines target the European short-haul city break market segment and utilise a system termed yield management to allow seats to be priced according to supply and demand (Ryanair Plc, 2008). Ryanair and Easyjet focus upon an optimum turnaround time at each due to empty planes being non-revenue generating. To maximise profits, fixed and variable costs are regularly challenged to introduce further savings which establishes the rationale as a low cost airline provider not to be forthcoming with compensation to passengers for flight cancellations. It is therefore an operational priority to ensure service delivery with minimal lost baggage claims and flight reliability exceeds the industry standard in relation to key performance indicators. Dependent upon the size of the aircraft purchased or leased from Boeing and Airbus, economies of scale can be achieved to increase the operating profit margin of the airline. Establishing a sustainable low cost base can increase the projected operating profit, increasing the airlines purchasing power to negotiate preferential commercial arrangements with suppliers. Furthermore financial success in one industry sector provides opportunity to develop activities in another sector using ancillary partners. In relation to each airline generating ancillary revenue, Easyjet activities have diversified into various market segments and achieved higher revenue returns beyond that of Ryanair, as detailed within each airlines Income Statement. Both the airlines have expanded their ancillary activities with Easyjet achieving a 115% improvement for ancillary services including Car rentals, Hotels, apartments, Travel Insurance and Airport Parking as recorded within their respective company accounts.Ultimately, Easyjet is expanding the portfolio of activities during the economic downturn to develop the brand and establish complimentary ancillary services to mitigate against revenue loss in a specific sector such as Passenger flights. In contrast, Ryanair has generated a 23% improvement in their ancillary services with passenger service the primary focus to achieve revenue (Easyjet Plc, 2008). As a short term strategy, this has possibly generated the concern that Ryanair performance has improved over Easyjet, yet as a long term approach the approach is not sustainable. This is due to all operational activities having a specific cost threshold and in a fare war contest it may become necessary to subsidise activities from other more profitable ancillary activities. The current approach by Ryanair in the economic downturn is therefore considered prejudicial against their long-term viability. Each airline primary assets are detailed within the Income statement that reflects the substantial capital outlays in relation to the purchase of aircraft fleet for both providers. In the long term this approach can be beneficial due to reduced future costs associated with leasing as well as minimising interference from external financing companies concerning pricing tactics with possible withdrawal of finance due to perceived negative publicity of the airline. Ownership of aircraft establishes a tangible asset and brand platform that can be applied to increase shareholders and investors confidence. The accumulation of assets establishes a long-term investment strategy that requires operational maintenance and management depreciation consideration. Ownership of the asset ultimately provides each airline with the opportunity to select without constraint their service partners for maintenance, cleaning and insurance coverage. As previously mentioned both airlines target the short-haul city break markets and utilise the yield management system to allow seats to be priced according to supply and demand therefore exercising full control of their marketing mix to the consumer (Airlines, 2006). Recorded revenues of  £2,171 million was achieved by Ryanair during the financial year ended on March 2008, representing an increase of 21.3% over 2007 and generating 37.6% of the total revenues in 2008(Ryanair, 2008) in comparison recorded revenue was  £2,362.8 million in September 2008 generating an increase of 31.5% compared to their performance in 2007 and reflective of a sustainable corporate strategy to protect the viability of Easyjet during the economic downturn(Easyjet Plc, 2008). Easyjet completed the acquisition of GB Airways in January 2008 with Ryanair attempting a similar corporate acquisition that was rejected by Aer Lingus. Currently no progress has been achieved from the Aer Lingus rejection of the offer yet the collapse of buget airlines Sky Europe in 2009 with previous budget airlines also going into administration does not provide the consumer with confidence in low cost fare providers (PIGNAL, 2008). Context (External) According to Datamonitor (2008) by 2011 the airline industry is forecast to have a value of  £89 billion with 773.5 million passengers anticipated to use airline travel on an annual basis. Competition amongst the two airline providers is increasingly focused towards cost and brand marketing. Various management cost reduction initiatives with provision of only one class of service have developed each airlines reputation as a no-fill providers due to costs being charged for all non-essentials. To assess the external profile of Easyjet in comparison to Ryanair a SPECTACLES approach is applied with consideration towards the various categories as well as applying Porters five forces model (1980). Social considerations include recognition of both airlines as market leaders with strong brand identification for low cost fares. Furthermore, both airlines have developed a reputation for reliability through punctuality of flight times, minimal flight cancellations and reduced lost luggage claims. Political considerations include all regulatory constraints that may apply to both providers such as airport charges which are generally levied through regulation rather than commercial negotiation. Economic considerations include the economic downturn, reduced disposable income and expenditure of customers together with increasing fuel costs due to global conflict and fear of terrorism attacks. In addition, global events have increased insurance provisions and requirements within the airline industry. Cultural considerations include the perception that low cost airlines provide an inferior service in comparison to traditional flag carrier and charter airlines that concentrate upon a differentiation competitive advantage. Technological considerations include the recognition that safety is a main consideration and cost aspect with all aircraft parts have a defined life-span before replacement is required. The replacement of prop aircraft to jet engines as part of fleet modernising as well as increasing safety requirements requires airlines to a continual review of their projected capital and maintenance allowances. Aesthetic considerations include the preference for one airline over another with Easyjet achieving a global focus due to broader activities in comparison to Ryanair. Both airlines provide the same class of service on all flights with emphasis upon low costs. Customer considerations include ease of on-line booking together with ticket costs combined with reliability of each airline operating the prescribed flights and minimal loss baggage claims. Against Easyjet, Ryanair has achieved significant short-term success in this category at the expense of generating a love/hate relationship with the public. Legal considerations include the regulatory constraints for passenger safety, security provisions, noise reduction, and environmental issues. In addition, to employment and aviation law, there is competition and liability legislation that restricts the operating activities of each airline. Environmental considerations include all regulatory constraints that may apply such as noise reduction, emissions and fuel efficiency, reduced energy, water and material consumption and air traffic congestion. Sectoral considerations include review of competitors and future regulatory considerations to enable a competitive advantage to be developed over rival airlines. In many respects review and implementation of Porters (1980) competitive forces provides the sector framework for analysing the intensity of competition to the profitability and attractiveness within an industry. The below five forces diagram illustrates the relationship between the different competitive forces (Porter, 1980). Adapted from Porter (1980) Five Forces Model Threat of new entrants low The preference for lower air fares generated the business opportunity for Easyjet and Ryanair to compete against traditional flag carrier and charter airlines. A high capital investment and legislation requirement combined with competition for additional airport slots/positions creates physical and financial barriers for new operators within the airline industry. Bargaining power of customers increasing Availability of constant information through the World Wide Web provides information of which airline has the cheaper fare and within an economic depression, the preference of the customer is generally towards the cheaper service provider. Bargaining power of suppliers strong but limited The price of aviation fuel is directly related to the cost of oil, as an individual company Easyjet and Ryanair does not have the power to alter this. The impact of the supplier depends on the availability of alternative suppliers and product substitutes (Dibb Simpkin, 2001). The more these airlines expands the more power it will possess over its suppliers Threat of the substitute products or services low There are no tenable threats from other modes of transport as distances are too great except from London to Paris, which can be reached by Euro Star. Current competitors Easyjet and Ryanair sustain a cost leadership advantage over all other operators including traditional flag carrier and charter airlines that utilise a differentiation rather than a low cost base. Overview: Both Ryanair and Easyjet have membership of the European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) to assist with their equal representation within the airline industry. According to ELFAA (2009) statistics Ryanair provides 1,200 daily flights in contrast to the 1,000 daily flights provided by Easyjet. As a consequence of providing a higher volume of daily flights than Easyjet, the passenger load factor for Ryanair is lower at 81.4% according to the June 2009 ELFAA statistics. The passenger load factor of 85.2% for Easyjet identifies on average their passenger occupancy per flight which can be compared to the break-even point to identify the profitability of a specific flight (ELFAA, 2009). The below table provides an insight of each organisation in relation to their operations and company profile. RYANAIR EASYJET ESTABLISHED 1985 1995 ANNUAL TURNOVER 2171 million 2,362 million OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE Ryanair Holdings Plc Easyjet Plc NO OF AIRCRAFT 220 165 MAJOR FLEET TYPE BOEING A320 ;BOEING MAIN HUB LONDON, STANSTED LONDON, LUTON AIRPORT H/Q DUBLIN, IRELAND LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM NO OF ROUTES COVERED 950 400 NO OF COUNTRIES COVERED 147 COUNTRIES 28 COUNTRIES EMPLOYEES 5920 6107 PASSENGER VOLUME 60 MILLION 43 million PASSENGERS 5.12 million 3.53 million PUNCTUALITY FLIGHTS ON TIME 88% 80% ACQUISITION MERGERS FAILED TO ATTEMPT AER LINGUS ACQUIRED GB AIRWAYS EXTERNAL AUDITORS KPMG PRICEWATER COOPERS AIRLINE PASSENGERS PER EMPLYOEE 9679 6772 Source : Easyjet plc 2009 Ryanair plc 2009. Both the airlines follow the going concern basis in preparing their financial statements which have been certified by independent respective external auditor as being a true and fair status of the companys financial overview. The financial statements are prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting standards (IFRS) as adopted by European Union (EU) and effective from March 2008; as applied in accordance with the prevailing Companies Act legislation. Both airlines amended their accounting policy in 2005 from UK GAAP to International Financial Reporting Standard (Ryanair Plc, 2008 Easyjet Plc, 2008). Both airlines are successful in strategising for revenue generation with Ryanair maximising its profit through effective control of operating expenses in comparison to Easyjet. An example is Ryanairs effective fuel hedging policy which allows the airline to allocate fixed fuel costs without surcharge to the customer whereas Easyjet varies their fuel surcharge to the customer. The turnover for Easyjet is  £2,362 million (2008) from  £1,797 million (2007) which is a 20% increase in the turnover. Unfortunately due to the increased administration expenses incurred profit margins have not been maximised due to staff, marketing and fuel costs. These costs cumulatively represent a total cost increase of 28% in 2008. The final outcome was a decrease in profit margin from 11.23% from 4.66%, which trails far behind Ryanairs profit margin (Easyjet plc, 2008). Ryanair in comparison to Easyjet has increased its turnover to  £2,171 million (2008) from  £1,789 million (2007) which is a 13% increase whereas their administration costs increased by 13% from last year. This has led to Ryanair capitalising on the increase in turnover to profit (Ryanair plc, 2008). Airline passenger per employee for Ryanair is greater in comparison to Easyjet and reflects an optimum utilisation of resources. Ryanairs punctuality of flights on time is 88% when compared to 80% of Easyjet which demonstrates the operational efficiency of staff. The customer base has increased for both airlines with Ryanair achieving greater customer retention through market domination of the short haul flights. The addition of 16 more aircrafts through Easyjets acquisition of GB airways to 165 aircrafts amounted to a capital expenditure of  £118 million (Easyjet plc, 2008). Ryanair took the delivery of 30 new aircrafts bringing its total to fleet of 220 aircraft which amounted to  £97.1 million towards capital expenditure incurred for the year. Both the airline has an expansion plan which clearly shows in their adding of more aircrafts to their existing fleet. Ryanair has raised finance through the mortgage of their aircraft, with a book value of  £3,061.5 million as collateral security for finance generated through loans for purchase of next generation 737-800 Boeing aircrafts (Ryanair plc, 2008). Ratios The calculated ratio analysis establishes the relationship between stated totals within the Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement and Income Statement to establish the base of Evaluation for financial performance between Easyjet plc (Easyjet) and Ryanair plc (Ryanair). The three main areas of Strategic analysis include Profitability, Liquidity and Efficiency as well as Gearing and Investment. Consideration of the ratios reflects the performance of Easyjet in achieving strategic goals in comparison to Ryanair and other rivals. The ratios are in the table format and the implications are discusses below (Moon Bates, 1993). Ratios RYANAIR EASYJET 2008 2007 2008 2007 Profitability ROCE 9.20% 9.86% 5.78% 12.08% Net Profit Margin 16.17% 20.16% 4.66% 11.23% Goss profit margin 19.79% 21.09% 3.85% 9.57% ROSF 15.61% 17.15% 6.51% 13.22% Liquidity Current Ratio 1.53 Times 2.02 Times 1.56 Times 1.88 Times Acid Test Ratio 1.53 Times 2.02 Times 1.56 Times 1.88 Times Gearing Ratio 47.55% 44.47% 41.53% 39.19% Interest Cover Ratio 5.53 Times 5.09 Times 3.36 Times 6.70 Times Efficiency Ratio Earnings per share 20.67 22.56 19.84 36.61 Wage Cost (%) 10.51% 10.13% 11.14% 11.36% Other ratios Debtors Collection days 4.6 days 3.82 days 21.55 days 34.2 days Creditors Payment days 17.39 days 8.94 days 11.97 days 8.04 days Source: Easyjet Plc.2008 Ryanair Plc, 2008. The financial ratios provide a quick and relatively simple means of assessing the financial health of the organisation (Atrill Eddie, 2006). Evaluation: To complete the CORE model an evaluation of the two airlines has been prepared with a succinct summary of the main findings of the report including key recommendations identified. Both airlines have reduced profit margins with Easyjets profit margin gap is significant in compared to Ryanair. The decline in the profit is mainly due to an increase in administration cost as previously reported. The main contributing factor is 66% increase in the fuel cost when compared to 2007 whereas Ryanair had only 14% in increase in fuel cost due to its effective (73%) hedging policy on fuel charges. Neither airline released dividend payments for 2008. To reduce short-term earnings volatility Easyjet has put the following fuel and currency hedging positions in place: 66% of anticipated 2009 funding requirement is hedged at  £1.96/ £,an additional 5% of requirement are hedged with collars with average floors of  £1.73/ £ (of what Shinde per sq metre); 56% of 2009 capital expenditure relating to aircraft deliveries hedged at  £1.97/ £; 81% of anticipated 2009 euro surplus hedged at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.24/ £. (Easyjet plc, 2008). Easyjet has also achieved a positive trend through reduced wage costs in comparison to Ryanair, which is a consistent consideration to maintain during an economic downturn to ensure competiveness with Ryanair. The operating profits for Easyjet were lower due to incurred advertising costs which were high in comparison to minimal advertising costs incurred by Ryanair and recorded as zero within the Income Statement. Online booking for Ryanair is greater than 90% which results in a small operating expense towards marketing. In contrast to Ryanair, Easyjet is applying a long term strategic approach to maximise revenue through advertising in the media and other channels to inform customers of their service value with competitive low fares. The acquisition costs for integrating GB Airways costed at  £12.9 million in 2008 which is going to reflect as an expense on next years income statement will assist Easyjet to increase profit margins. Easyjet has also increased ancillary revenue which will assist the company to mitigate its corporate risks through diversification of activities. Both airlines use the straight line method for calculating depreciation due to which Easyjet is showing 33% increase in its depreciation cost versus Ryanair 22% increase in depreciation. In relation to Easyjet the depreciation cost is high due to the acquisition of GB Airways with additional assets to be depreciated. The interest cover ratio, which is used to determine how easily either airline can pay interest on outstanding debt, was calculated by dividing each airlines revenue before interest and taxes with ratio. The interest cover ratio has declined dramatically for Easyjet by 3.34 times when compared to Ryanair which increased by 0.44 times. Thus the decline in Easyjets interest cover ratio can be explained through an increase in borrowing and combined with a dramatic decline in profitability in 2008. The lower the level of operating profit coverage, the greater the risk to lenders that interest payments will not be met, and the greater the risk to the shareholders that the lenders will take action against the business to recover the interest rate. Whilst Ryanair has its maintained a preferable interest cover ratio in comparison to Easyjet due to the profit  £429,664 achieved despite high borrowings. Easyjets Interest cover ratio was not as favourable due to their profit margins of  £910,000 despite achieving a preferred gearing ratio in comparison to Ryanair. The gearing ratio refers to the relationship between the amount of fixed interest capital and the amount of equity within each airline. Ryanair has increased from 44% (2007) to 47% (2008) primarily due to an increase of long term debts at 13% in 2008. When the value of debt capital is more than the value of equity as in Ryanairs situation the organisation is highly geared due to significant borrowings of  £1,814.57 increasing the risk of becoming insolvent in the medium to long term particularly if the economic downturn continues. Ryanair is raising finance for operational activities at the expense of an increased gearing ratio from 9.32% in 2007 compared to 39.96% in 2008 due to a decrease in profit margins (Ryanair Plc, 2008). Whilst, the gearing ratio for Easyjet increased to 41.53 % (2008) from 39.19 % (2007) this is primarily attributed to the acquisition of GB Airways. The future gearing for Easyjet will reduce due to consolidation of activities whereas Ryanair increased gearing is attributed to the intended acquisition of Aer Lingus, purchase of market shares and investment within operational activities. It would therefore appear that Ryanair have exhausted the potential to achieve future funding due to their current gearing ratio whereas Easyjet focus is towards consolidation of activities with an increase in profit margins anticipated in 2009/10. Easyjet have increased current liabilities in terms of aircraft maintenance cost and derivative financial instruments (hedging losses) that have generated a reduction in the current ratio combined with the acquisition of GB Airways. Whilst Easyjet can access significant cash and liquid investments to mitigate the risk of business disruption events of approximately  £863 million as at 30 September 2008 this excludes restricted cash of  £66 million for short-term liabilities. Whereas the cash balance for Ryanair has improved it is only through analysis of the ratios that a downward trend is developing due to an increase in current liabilities within derivative financial instruments. Ryanair utilises derivative financial instruments to hedge against losses by anticipation of future price increases concerning predicted variability in cash flows of an asset, liability or a highly probable forecasted transaction. A significant contribution for an increase in the current ratio for Ryanair is the increase in maturity of debts. Both Ryanair and Easyjet have a similar acid ratio due to absence of stock or inventories within their published balance sheets. The sales revenue per employee ratio identifies how each airline is utilizing their employee productivity with an increase generally reflective of efficiency with management establishing additional key performance indicators for staff to achieve. As previously detailed on the ratio comparison table, Ryanair has increased sales revenue per employee. Return on capital employed identifies the relationship between the operating profit and average long term capital invested and is significantly reduced for Easyjet due to long term liabilities yet this is recognised as a temporary phase following the GB Airways acquisition as well as undertaking airline operations within a competitive market. Achieving a profit within an economic downturn combined with adjustment of the hedge reserve will enable Easyjet to improve their effectiveness in 2009/10. In contrast, the capital redemption reserve for Ryanair has increased due to purchasing previously released equity shares as well as increasing long term liabilities with various financial institutions and established primarily on the basis of guarantees granted by Export-Import Bank of the United States to finance the acquisition of 107 Boeing 737-800 as a next generation aircraft. Whilst having less favourable ratios than Easyjet the funding provided by the Export-Import Bank of the United States for Ryanair is attributed to the bank emphasis to support the financing of U.S. goods and services (Trade Finance, 2004). It could also be suggested that the purchase of previously released shares by Ryanair was implemented to prevent another airline purchasing Ryanair shares due to their perceived vulnerability since the continued reduction of operational costs is not a sustainable activity. The Debtors Ratio identifies the effectiveness of a debt collection routine and within the competitive low fare airline industry, efficient ratios would be anticipated especially when the focus is towards cost reduction measures and borrowing finance is a chargeable activity. Ryanair has an excellent debtor collection policy with a minimal increase 0.78 days in 2008. This could also be reflective of the absence of available liquid reserves within a business to increase the availability of working capital and reduce finance borrowings. In contrast, Easyjet debtor ratio can be optimised from 12.65 days in 2008 to improve the availability of working capital within the business and limit borrowings. In comparison of the two airlines, Easyjet could improve their debtor ratio to seven days for efficiency purposes whereas Ryanair requires a constant focus on their debtor ratio analysis due to availability of working cash and requirement to minimal all non-essential costs. The Creditors Ratio provides an alternative perspective on how the two airlines consider their debt considerations. Ryanair creditor payment period is 8.45 days and therefore due to the volume of activities there is the availability of finance for other activities for an average of 8.45 days until payment/settlement is issued. Through utilising the credit payment period as a temporary borrowing option there is the perceived high risk that funds for payment could become committed and rather than generating revenue growth, funds are being juggled. In contrast the creditor payment period for Easyjet is 3.93 days restricting the availability of working capital to be paid to creditors rather than using it for day to day operations. In summary of the ratios selected for comparison the creditor and debtor ratios is reflective in general of how each airline is approaching their activities. Ryanair is quick to require settlement from debtors due to their restricted borrowing availability and uses a period of 8.45 days as an opportunity to generate additional revenue prior to settlement. Depending upon the volume of finance available within this period, Ryanair is anticipating the generation of additional revenue through hedging activities and received interest returns. In contrast, Easyjet is quick to make settlement as a creditor and less e

The Competing Explanations of Deviance Essay -- Legal Issues, Life Sen

How are the Competing Explanations of Deviance Relative to Juveniles who are Serving Life Sentences in Prison? America is the only country that incarcerates persons under the age of 18 to a life sentence in prison (Knafo 2013). Scientist says that the full level of maturity is not reached until a person is in their mid-20. Immature children without an adult brain are committing adult crimes and are serving adult time. Why? The answer unfolds in the explanations of deviance. Statistics states that nearly 3000 juveniles who are put in American prisons are given a life sentence without the option of parole (EJI). Each case has extensive evidence that deviant behaviors led to bad actions and eventually a life sentence in prison. For example, Sara Kruzan was introducing to a life of socially deviant behavior. She was forced to prostitute and be under the dominating controls of a pimp. Eventually, the amount of deviant behavior she was exposed caused her to reach her boiling point and to kill her pimp. So, the result was deviant behavior caused another form of deviant behavior which lead to Sara Kruzan serving a life sentence in prison at the tender age of 13. Thankfully, the state the crime was committed in set new laws and Sara was later released from prison (Knafo 2013). Unlike Sara, many other juvenile serving life sentences are still waiting to be released. In this paper I would like to discuss three of those juveniles and the congruent explanation of de viance. The layout will be as follows: 1. Cyntoia Brown (Biosocial Explanation) 2. Jacob Ind (Psychological) 3. Erik Jensen (Sociological) Three Explanations of Deviance Understanding the three explanations of deviance reveals the complexity or deviant behavior each j... ...are relevant to those juveniles serving life in prison. Works Cited Bikel, O. (Director). (2007). When kids get life [Documentary]. USA: WGBH Educational Foundation. Birman, D. H. (Director). (2011). Me facing life [Documentary]. USA: Cinema Guild. Deviance. (2001). In World of Sociology, Gale. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/worldsocs/deviance Equal Justice Initiative. (n.d.). Children in Adult Prison. Retrieved November 14, 2013, from http://www.eji.org/childrenprison Knafo, S. (2013, September 20). Here Are All The Countries Where Children Are Sentenced To Die In Prison. The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 14, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/20/juvenile-life-without-parole_n_3962983.html Thio, A., Calhoun, T. C., & Conyers, A. (2010). Readings in deviant behavior (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Critial Vocab, English Lit a Level

Critical Vocabulary Builder A Abjure – To renounce or retract esp formally or under oath, or solemnly. Abduration – The act of renouncing. Ablation – The surgical removal of an organ, structure, or part. Ablate. Ablution –   The ritual washing of a priest’s hands. Abnegate (abnegation) – To deny to oneself; renounce privileges, pleasure, etc. Abstergent – Of cleaning or scouring Abstruse – Not easy to understand; recondite; esoteric. Acalculia – psycol. An inability to make simple mathematical calculations. Acumen – Quickness of perception or discernment; shrewdness shown by keen insight.Adherents – Follower, or supporter of. Adjacent – Being near or close, esp. having a common boundary. ; adjoining; contiguous. Adjuvant – Aiding or assisting. Aesopian – Conveying meaning by hint, euphemism, innuendo or the like. 2) Pertaining to, or characteristic of Aesop or his fables. Aesthetic â⠂¬â€œ Broadly speaking, something pleasing, or the study of beauty. Aesthetic distance –  degree of emotional involvement in a work of art. The most obvious example of aesthetic distance (also referred to simply as distance) occurs with paintings.Some paintings require us to stand back to see the design of the whole painting; standing close, we see the technique of the painting, say the brush strokes, but not the whole. Other paintings require us to stand close to see the whole; their design and any figures become less clear as we move back from the painting. Similarly, fiction, drama, and poetry involve the reader emotionally to different degrees. Emotional distance, or the lack of it, can be seen with children watching a TV program or a movie; it becomes real for them.Writers like Faulkner, the Bronte sisters, or Faulkner pull the reader into their work; the reader identifies closely with the characters and is fully involved with the happenings. Hemingway, on the other ha nd, maintains a greater distance from the reader. Affective Fallacy – The error of evaluating a poem by its effects—especially its emotional effects—upon the reader. As a result the poem itself, as an object of specifically critical judgement, tends to disappear. Alacrity – Liveliness or briskness. Alalia – Complete inability to speak; mutism.Allegory – A narrative where characters, actions and sometimes setting are consistently symbolic of something else (often philosophical or moral abstractions). Alliteration – the use, especially in poetry, of the same sound or sounds, especially consonants, at the beginning of several words that are close together Ambiguity – Ambiguity is the quality of having more than one meaning; does   Ameliorate – To make or become better; improve. Amelioration. Amorphous – Lacking a definite shape; formless. 2 – Of no recognisable character or shape.Anachronisms – Flash backs, jumps forwards. Analogy – a comparison between things which have similar features, often used to help explain a principle or idea Analepis – A flash-back Anathema – A detested person or thing ‘he is anathema to me! ’ 2 A formal ecclesiastical curse of excommunication. Antonym – An antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another word but similar to it in most other respects. For example, tall and short are opposite in meaning but both are the same parts of speech (adjectives) and would take the same position in a sentence.Aporia – An impassable moment or point in a narrative, a hole or opening that produces a hermeneutic analysis. Arbitrarily – Founded on or subject to personal whims, prejudices, etc. ; capricious. 2 – Having only relative application. 3 – Of a government or ruler despotic or dictatorial. Arcane – Requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious; esoteric. Arrhythmic / Arrhythm ia – Any variation from the normal rhythm of the heart beat. Arriere-pensee – An unrevealed thought or intention. Arriviste – A person who is unscrupulously ambitious. Assiduous – Hard-working; persevering.Assignation – A secret or forbidden arrangement to meet esp. between lovers. Attest – To affirm the correctness or truth of. Auric – Of or containing gold in the trivalent state. Autodidact – One who is self-taught. Avarice – The getting and keeping of money, possessions etc as a purpose to live for. B Ballad –  relatively short narrative poem, written to be sung, with a simple and dramatic action. The ballads tell of love, death, the supernatural, or a combination of these. Two characteristics of the ballad are incremental repetition and the ballad stanza.Incremental repetition repeats one or more lines with small but significant variations that advance the action. The ballad stanza is four lines; commonly, t he first and third lines contain four feet or accents, the second and fourth lines contain three feet. Ballads often open abruptly, present brief descriptions, and use concise dialogue. Baroque – A term applied by art-historians (at first derogatorily, but now merely descriptively) to a style of architecture, sculpture, and painting that developed in Italy at the beginning of the seventeenth century and then spread to Germany and other European countries.The style employs the classical forms of the renaissance, but breaks them up and intermingles them to achieve elaborate, grandiose, energetic, and highly dramatic effects. In Literature, it may signify magniloquent style in verse or prose. Beatitude – Supreme blessedness or happiness. Benefactor – A person who supports or helps a person (Beneficiary), institution etc. , esp. by giving money; patron. Bilious – Bad tempered. 2. Hideously green. Blank verse – Blank verse is a form based on unrhymed li nes of iambic pentameter.The verse parts of Shakespeare's plays are blank verse (with exceptions, such as the witches' recipe), as is Milton's Paradise Lost. The form is one that is close to normal speech (indeed, â€Å"the form is one that's close to normal speech† is itself an iambic pentameter) so it gives a subtle pulse to a poem, rather than an obvious shaping as a limerick might. However, there is a tendency in contemporary poetry to use shorter lines, so the form can also sound stately or slow to a modern ear.? Bowyer – Person or makes or sells archery bows. Bumptious – Offensively self-assertive or conceited.C Cadence – (Poetry) A fall, in tone, in pitch etc. Catalectic – (Poetry) – of a line, missing one or more beats. Catechism – Instruction by a series of questions and answers esp a book containing such instruction on the religious doctrine of the Christian church. 2 Rigorous and persistent questioning, as in a test or inte rview. Character – Characters may be classified as round (three-dimensional, fully developed) or as flat (having only a few traits or only enough traits to fulfil their function in the work); as developing (dynamic) characters or as static characters.Caesura – a strong pause within a line, and is often found alongside enjambment. If all the pauses in the sense of the poem were to occur at the line breaks, this could become dull; moving the pauses so they occur within the line creates a musical interest. Chivalric Romance – Developed in 12th Century France, spread and displaced epic and heroic forms. Climax – The height of tensions or suspense in a story's plot where conflict comes to a peak. Coetaneous – Of the same age or period. Coeval – Of belonging to the same age or generation. 2) A contemporary.Collocate – To group or place together in some system or order. Collusion – Secret agreement for a fraudulent purpose; connivance ; conspiracy. Conceit – The Metaphysical poets of the seventeenth century enjoyed creating particularly audacious metaphors and similes to compare very unlike things, and drawing attention to how skilfully they could sustain this comparison; this became known as the conceit. The classic example is probably Donne's ‘The Flea', in which a flea-bite is compared to a marriage, and like most conceits, the extended comparison is more notable for its invention than its believability.Concomitant – Existing or occurring together; associative. Concord – Agreement or harmony between people or nations; amity. Confabulate – To talk together, to communicate. Confiteor – A prayer consisting of a general confession of sinfulness and an entreaty for forgiveness. Conflagration – A large destructive fire. Conflagration – A large destructive fire. Conflate / Conflation – To combine or blend, esp two versions of a text, so as to form a whole. Conflict – The part of the plot that establishes an opposition that becomes a point of interest.Can ve an opposition between characters, between character and environment, between elements in a character's personality etc. Conglomerate – A thing composed heterogeneous elements. Conjecture – The formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence; a guess. Consonance – Consonance is the effect of similar speech-sounds being near each other. Some forms of consonance can be singled out, which are: alliteration, where initial sounds matter; sibilance, where ‘s' and ‘z' sounds are enhanced; and assonance, where the vowel-sounds of words are in concert.Contiguous – Touching along the side or boundary; in contact. Convivial – Sociable, jovial or festive. Corpulent – Physically bulky; fat. Coterie – A small exclusive group of friends with common interests; clique. Coterminous – Enclosed within a common boundary. Coter minous – Having a common boundary. Couplet – A couplet is a stanza (or even a poem) consisting of two lines. These need not rhyme, nor be the same length, but can be. If there is no enjambment at the end of the second line, it can be called a closed couplet (the opposite being an open couplet), especially if this is a recurring pattern.A closed rhyming couplet in iambic pentameter, especially one which forms a unit of sense, is called a heroic couplet; many of these can be found in Pope's ‘Essay on Man'. It is also possible to find a longer poem whose lines are rhymed in pairs – aabbcc etc – described as being in rhyming couplets, even if the stanzas are longer than two lines. D Daltonism – Colour blindness: the inability to distinguish green from red. Damocles – Imminent danger in midst of prosperity/ Greek who feasted with sword hung by a hair above his head. De Facto – In fact. 2 – Existing in fact.De haut en bas †“ In condescending or superior manner. De’ I gra’tia – By God’s grace. Deambulation – Walking. Debacle – Break-up of ice on a river/ confused rush or stampede/ collapse, downfall esp of a government. Debouch – (esp. of troops) – To move into a more open space, as from a narrow or concealed place. Declarativist – Want to show a mystery resolved – transparent – form has no effect over the shaping of events. Declivous – Sloping down. Decrescent – Waning, decreasing usually of the moon. Deference – Submission to or compliance with the will, wishes, etc. of another. Deleterious – Noxious physically or morally injurious. Demarcate – To mark, fix, or draw the boundaries, limits etc. (Demarcation) – the act of establishing limits, boundaries etc. Denouement – French for untying, it is the final element of the conflict in a plot similar to a resolution, usually very emotional. Devilment – Mischief, wild spirits: Devilish or strange phenomenon. Dextrous – Variant spelling of dexterous – Possessing or done with dexterity. Diatribe – A bitter or violent criticism or attack; denunciation.Dichotomy – a difference between two completely opposite ideas or things Dramatic monologue – A dramatic monologue is a poem that shares many features with a speech from a play: one person speaks, and in that speech there are clues to his/her character, the character of the implied person or people that s/he is speaking to, the situation in which it is spoken and the story that has led to this situation. Ian Duhig's ‘Fundamentals', for example, gives plenty of information about the character of the hapless missionary, about the tone of the meeting, and the colonial violence that underpins what is on face value a message of religion.The effect is one of a small poem seeming to leave you with the experience of having s een the whole film that was packed tightly into it. Dystaxia – Lack of muscular co-ordination resulting in shaky limb movements and unsteady gait. E Eclectic – Selecting or made up of what seems best of varied sources. Effervesce – To give off bubbles of gas. Egalitarian – of relating to, or upholding the doctrine of the equality of mankind and the desirability of political, social, and economic equality. Egregious – Outstandingly bad; flagrant. Egress – (also called egression) – the act of going or coming out; emergence.Electorate – The body of all qualified voters Elegy – An elegy is a poem of mourning; this is often the poet mourning one person, but the definition also includes Thomas Gray's ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard', which mourns all the occupants of that churchyard, and looks into the future to mourn the poet's own death. The difference between an elegy and a eulogy is that the latter is a speech given to honour someone's best qualities, often (but not necessarily) after their death. Endemic – Present within or localised area or peculiar to persons in such an area.Enjambement – Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence or clause over a line-break. If a poet allows all the sentences of a poem to end in the same place as regular line-breaks, a kind of deadening can happen in the ear, and in the brain too, as all the thoughts can end up being the same length. Enjambment is one way of creating audible interest; others include caesurae, or having variable line-lengths. Enlightenment – The name applied to an intellectual movement and cultural ambiance which developed in Western Europe during the 17th Century, reaching its height in the 18th century.The common element was a trust in human reason as adequate to solve the crucial problems and to establish the essential norms in life, together with a belief that the application of reason was rapidly dissipatin g the darkness of superstition, prejudice, and barbarity, was freeing humanity from its earlier reliance on mere authority and unexamined tradition, and had opened the prospect of progress toward a life in this world of universal peace and happiness. See Descartes, Locke, Voltaire, Godwin, Diderot, Franklin, Jefferson.Ephemeral – Lasting only for a short time; transitory; short-lived. Epigone – An inferior follower or imitator Epigram – An epigram is a short, succinct poem, often with witty (or even vicious) content. Coleridge wrote an epigram to define an epigram: â€Å"What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole, / Its body brevity and wit its soul. † It is worth noting that this is a stricter definition than epigrams seem to have had in classical Greece and Rome, where the form originates; it is probably the eighteenth-century fondness for a smart wit and the epigrams of Martial that tightened the definition thus.The preference in contemporary poetry for expl oring an issue rather than summing it up means epigrams are not as popular as they were then, but Anne Stevenson's ‘On Going Deaf', with its wit, rhyme and definite opinion, is probably the closest example within the Archive. Epigraph – An epigraph is a brief bit of text, usually borrowed from another writer, found before a poem, but after the title. (You may also find one at the start of a book, before the poems, but after the title page. ) It gives a reader, or listener, something else to hold in mind as the poem is read.Neither part of the poem, nor wholly separate from it, an epigraph can be used for various purposes; it can be necessary information to understand a poem, for example, or it can be something with which the poem disagrees. Epistemophilia – The reader’s desire to know. Ergo – Therefore; hence. Esoteric – Restricted to or intended for an enlightened or initiated minority, esp. because of abstruseness or obscurity: an esoteric cult. 2 – Difficult to understand; abstruse: an esoteric statement. 3 – Not openly admitted; private: esoteric aims. Espouse – To adopt or give support to.Espy – To catch sight of or perceive. Eugenics – The study of improving the quality of the human race esp. by selective breeding. Evanescent – Passing out of sight; fading away; vanishing. Evangelism – The practice of spreading the Christian gospel. 2 – Ardent or missionary zeal for a cause Exegesis – Explanation or critical interpretation of a text, esp. of the Bible Exhaustivistic – A book must be complete; to be reliable is to be complete therefore Realistic novels have more detail and description per square inch than any other literary form.Expectorant – Promoting the secretion, liquefaction, or expulsion of sputum from the respiratory passages. Expediency – Appropriateness; suitability. 2) The use or inclination towards methods that are advant ageous rather than fair. Exposition – Provides background on characters, setting, plot. Extant – Still existing; not yet destroyed, lost or extinct. F Fabula – Order of events recounted by the narrative, the real order of the chronological events. Facetious – joking or jesting often inappropriately / meant to be humorous or funny : not serious.Falsetto – A form of vocal production used by male singers to extend their range upwards beyond its natural compass by limiting the vibration of the vocal cords. Fatuous –Complacently or inanely foolish. Feminine – of an ending (poetry) of one or more unstressed beats. Fervour – Great intensity of feeling or belief. Figurative Language – Language used in a way to achieve some effect beyond literal meaning. See hyperbole, metaphor, personification, simile and synecdoche. Flambeau – A burning torch, as used in night processions.Foil – A foil is a secondary character who contrasts with a major character; in Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras, whose fathers have been killed, are foils for Hamlet. Foot – A foot is a unit of metre, consisting of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables. If stressed syllables are marked â€Å"/† and unstressed â€Å"u†, the main types can be shown thus:? Iamb: [ u / ], such as â€Å"delight†. (The adjective is â€Å"iambic†. ) Trochee: [ / u ], such as â€Å"badger† (Trochaic)? Anapest, or anapaest: [ u u / ], such as â€Å"unaware† (Anapestic / anapaestic)?Dactyl: [ / u u ], such as â€Å"multiple† (Dactylic) and, more rarely: Spondee: [ / / ], such as â€Å"tooth-ache†? Pyrrhic: [ u u ], such as â€Å"such as† was until it was put in quotation marks. It is important to remember that feet and words need not coincide. The feet in John Heath-Stubbs' line, â€Å"A caterpillar among those mulberry leaves†, from ‘The Mulberry Tree' app ear thus: | a CAT | er PILL | ar a MONG | those MUL | berry LEAVES |? | u / | u / | u u / | u / | u / |That one word â€Å"caterpillar† is scattered across three feet in this five-foot line – the first two are iambs, then after a single anapaest there are two further iambs (or one iamb and one more anapaest, depending on whether you say mul-ber-ry or mul-bree). Also note that, although there is an anapaest in the centre of this line, this is still a predominantly iambic line (especially as it is within a predominantly iambic poem) – varying the feet like this can keep a line from getting metrically dull. The process of working out where the stresses fall is called scanning, or scansion.It's easiest to do it on poems where the rhythms are pronounced; on the other hand, it can be near-impossible, or simply unhelpful, to scan free verse. The poems suggested below have strongly accented feet, and the links to metre and form go into more detail on how poets use feet. Foregrounding – Giving unusual providence to one element or property of a text, relative to other less noticeable aspects. Form – Form, in poetry, can be understood as the physical structure of the poem: the length of the lines, their rhythms, their system of rhymes and repetition.In this sense, it is normally reserved for the type of poem where these features have been shaped into a pattern, especially a familiar pattern. Another sense of â€Å"form† is to refer to these familiar patterns – these can be simple and open-ended forms, such as blank verse, or can be a complex system of rhymes, rhythms and repeated lines within a fixed number of lines, as a sonnet or villanelle is. (This is similar to the word â€Å"shape†; asked to think about â€Å"a shape†, you would expect a triangle or a circle, but Alaska too has a shape. ) The difference s visible in Sebastian Barker's poem ‘Holy The Heart On Which We Hang Our Hope': the form of t his poem shares aspects with another form, the villanelle, but also differs from it in interesting ways, just as its content shares in some aspects of organised faith but not in others. ACROSTIC ? An acrostic poem is one that uses the first letters of each line to spell out a word or phrase. More uncommonly, you can find a word or phrase through the centre of a poem (when it is called a mesostich) or at the end of the lines (which makes it a telestich).If the poem is written so that the first letters and last letters both write out a message, it is known as a double acrostic. CENTO? A poem consisting only of lines from other poems. This, from the Italian word for patchwork, is almost a technique rather than a form, especially as it can be of any length, and any metre, and need not rhyme; however, as the finished poem is referred to as a cento, just as a sonnet is called a sonnet, it is a form. CLERIHEW?Named after its inventor, this is a four-line poem rhymed aabb; its first line i s the name of the subject of the poem, it often breaks into two sentences at the end of the second line, and the rhythm tends to be entertainingly irregular. DOUBLE-DACTYL? This one is normally reserved for nonsense verse. 8 lines, all consisting of two dactyls (hence the name). Line 1 is a nonsense word (such as â€Å"higgledy-piggledy†), line 2 is someone's name, line 6 is a single six-syllable word, and lines 4 and 8 rhyme. OTTAVA RIMA?A stanza form often used for longer poems, most famously in Byron's ‘Don Juan', consisting of eight lines, usually in iambic pentameter, rhymed abababcc. PANTOUM? This can be of any length; it is a poem of four-line stanzas, in which the second and fourth lines of one stanza become the first and third of the next. The last stanza's second and fourth lines can be the first and third of the first stanza, either reversed or not, which locks the poem into a circle of repetitions or, as the poet Marilyn Hacker says, â€Å"until it ends u p with its tail in its mouth†. ? SPENSERIAN STANZA? 8 lines of iambic pentameter, followed by 1 iambic hexameter (or alexandrine); rhyme scheme ababbcbccc. This is the stanza invented by Spenser in The Faerie Queene. TERZA RIMA? A poem in which each stanza is rhymed aba, with the inner rhyme from one stanza providing the outer rhymes for either the previous or subsequent stanza: aba bcb cdc†¦ or aba cac dcd†¦. The form can end in a single-line stanza, a couplet, or by referring back to the as-yet-unused rhyme from the first stanza.Free Verse –   What free verse claims to be free from is the constraints of regular metre and fixed forms. This makes the poem free to find its own shape according to what the poet – or the poem – wants to say, but still allows him or her to use rhyme, alliteration, rhythms or cadences (etc) to achieve the effects that s/he feels are appropriate. There is an implicit constraint, however, to resist a regular metre in f ree verse – a run of a regular metre will stand out awkwardly in an otherwise free poem.Sometimes known as vers libre, free verse has a long pedigree and is very common in contemporary poetry. Yet there are still voices that claim poetry is only poetry when it is formal verse, and would agree with Robert Frost who, when asked about free verse, said â€Å"I'd just as soon play tennis with the net down†. Fans of free verse can counter with T S Eliot's insistence that â€Å"no vers is libre for the man who wants to do a good job† – the net may be down, but this allows a poet (of either gender) to play to different rules.Simon Armitage's ‘You're Beautiful', for example, creates for himself a set of rules that includes repeated words at the starts of phrases, rather than a structure of repeated sounds at the end of lines. G Garish – Gay or colourful in a crude or vulgar manner. Garner – To gather or store in or as if in a granary Gendarme à ¢â‚¬â€œ A member of the police force of France or in countries formerly influenced or controlled by France. Germane – describes ideas or information connected with and important to a particular subject or situation e. ‘her remarks could not have been more germane to the discussion. ‘ Ghazal – Mimi Khalvati, whose poem ‘Ghazal' is the only poem so far to use a ghazal form in the Archive, defines it at the start of her reading of it: â€Å"Ghazals are an old Persian form, and they're written in self-contained couplets with a monorhyme, sometimes one- (or two- or three-) word repeated phrase, like a refrain, and the last couplet is a signature couplet, in which the writer has to refer to themselves by name, or pseudonym, or by using some kind of wordplay on their name. In her ghazal, the repeated word is â€Å"me†, the rhyme is on â€Å"through†, â€Å"woo†, â€Å"cue†, â€Å"tattoo† and so on, and the ‘signature ' is in the reference to being â€Å"twice the me†, or ‘Mimi'. ?Like the haiku, the age of the form – the ghazal can be traced back through a millennium – and its translation into the English language mean that the ‘rules' have had significant variations over time. You may find some definitions insist that the subject of a ghazal should be love, and others that let the rhyme move to be earlier in the line than Khalvati's placement of it immediately before the refrain.Some insist that each couplet should be complete in itself, meaning that each stanza ends on a full stop, and can therefore have only a thematic connection to those either side. There are even some that do without the refrain, but these appear rare. The closed couplets, however, appear to be a necessity to the form. Gimcrack – Cheap; shoddy. Grandiloquent – Inflated, pompous or bombastic in style or expression. Grandiose – Pretentiously grand or stately. Imposing in conception or execution. H Haiku – A haiku is a brief Japanese form that has been adapted into English in various ways.Its usual definition is that it is a three-line poem, consisting of seventeen syllables split 5 – 7 – 5. Other criteria (such as a ‘zen mood', a reference to a season, or the poem being divided by a word that implies some form of cutting) may be demanded, and may even replace the strict syllable count. John Stallworthy considers Ezra Pound's ‘In a Station of the Metro' a haiku, as, although it has only two lines and considerably more than 17 syllables, it has the brief and direct presentation of an image that many haiku have.Hermeneutics – The theory of interpretation, concerned with general problems of understanding the meaning of the texts. Heterogeneous – Comprised of unrelated or differing parts or elements. Heteroglossia – To describe the variety of voices and language found within a novel, and multiple refe rences found in a single voice. Hoary – Having grey or white hair. 2 White or whitish in colour. Homunculus – A miniature man; midget. 2 – Early biological theory that a miniature man existed in fully-formed in the spermatozoon or egg.Hyperbole – Figurative language that uses exaggeration for emphasis, like I’m starving when you haven’t eaten in four hours, or I’ve been waiting forever when that’s impossible because you probably were born at some point, and forever was happening a long time before you were born. I Impeccant – Not sinning; free from sin. Iambic pentameter – Iambic pentameter is the name given to a line of verse that consists of five iambs (an iamb being one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed, such as â€Å"before†).It has been a fundamental building block of poetry in English, used in many poems by many poets from the English Renaissance to the present day. ?As with any metre, it i s not necessary that every line should be entirely slavish in following the rhythm; in fact, being so could make the poem sound dull. Swapping, dropping or adding stressed and unstressed syllables will lend variety to a line without changing the underlying rhythm. Poems in iambic pentameter may or may not rhyme.Those that are written in continuous lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter are said to be in blank verse, while rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter may be called â€Å"heroic couplets†, particularly when each couplet closes a thought or sentence on its second line. Iconoclast – Someone who attacks established or traditional concepts, principles, laws etc. 2 Destroyer of religious images or sacred images. Ides – (in the Roman calendar) the 15th day in March, May, July, and October and the 13th day of each other month.Idiolect – The variety or form or form of a language used by an individual. Idiopathy – Any disease of unknown cause. Illusioni st – Everything we need to make things happen, and that cause events are all present in the novel: all the causes and events can be traced. Imagery – Imagery is the name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses. Despite â€Å"image† being a synonym for â€Å"picture†, images need not be only visual; any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) can respond to what a poet writes.Examples of non-visual imagery can be found in Ken Smith's ‘In Praise of Vodka', where he describes the drink as having â€Å"the taste of air, of wind on fields, / the wind through the long wet forest†, and James Berry's ‘Seashell', which puts the â€Å"ocean sighs† right in a listener's ear. A poet could simply state, say, â€Å"I see a tree†, but it is possible to conjure up much more specific images using techniques such as simile (â€Å"a tree like a spiky rocket†), metaphor (â€Å"a green cloud riding a pole†) or synechdoche (â€Å"bare, black branches†) – each of these suggests a different kind of tree.Techniques, such as these, that can be used to create powerful images are called figurative language, and can also include onomatopoeia, metonymy and personification. One of the great pleasures of poetry is discovering a particularly powerful image; the Imagists of the early 20th century felt it was the most important aspect, so were devoted to finding strong images and presenting them in the clearest language possible. Of course, not every poem is an Imagist poe Immitigable – Unable to be mitigated; relentless; unappeasable.Impasse – A situation in which progress is blocked; an insurmountable difficulty. Impasto – Paint applied thickly, so that brush and palette knife marks are evident. The technique of applying paint in this way. Impecunious – Without money, penniless. Impediments – A hindrance or obstruction. Imprecate â€⠀œ To swear and curse, to blaspheme. In the Middle Ages one hour was equal to 480 ounces of sand, or 22,560 atoms. Inchoate – Just beginning; incipient. 2 – Undeveloped; immature; rudimentary.Incommode – To bother, disturb, or inconvenience. Incommunicado – Deprived of communication with other people, as while in solitary confinement. Incontrovertible – Incapable of being contradicted or disputed; undeniable. Indeterminacy:  Ã‚   The unknowable, undecidable, uncertain, or ambiguous in a text. Indeterminacy is related to gaps in a text, but are less obviously identifiable and are a quality of a reading or interpretation, not just the text. Indign – Undeserving, unworthy.Innocuous – Having little or no adverse or harmful effect; harmless. Innominate – Having no name; nameless. Irony – At its most basic, a difference or gap between the presentation/representation of something and its reality. In other words, when what som ething appears to be and what it is are not the same. Irony can be engaged or detached: Engaged irony uses the gaps between reality and representation to make a point or expose something; detached irony exploits gaps for immediate effect, like humor, satire or surface criticism.Irony can also occur at different levels of a text; for instance, verbal irony would occur at the level of the word or sentence, where double meanings come into play; dramatic irony would occur at the level of the plot, where events and action are   constructed in a way to take the reader in one direction while the reality is something else (a technique often found with 1st person unreliable narrators and 3rd person privileged narrators). Insuperable – Incapable of being overcome. Interlocutor – A person who takes part in a conversation. Internecine – Mutually destructive or ruinous; maiming both or all sides: internecine war.Interpolate – To insert or introduce (a comment, passa ge, etc) into (a conversation, text, etc). 2 To falsify or alter (a text, manuscript etc) by the later addition of spurious or worthless passages. Interpolation – The act of interpolating. Intertextuality:  Ã‚   In a text, implied references to or  implied influences from another text. This concept allows a reader to make links between genres, and to see how themes, plot, etc. may develop or change in relation or in light of that other text. Intractable / Intractability – Difficult to influence or direct; difficult to solve (of problem).Intransigent – Not willing to compromise; obstinate; obstinately maintaining an attitude. Irascible – Prone to anger; easily provoked to anger; hot-tempered. Invidious – Incurring or tending to arouse resentment, unpopularity etc. 2) unfair or offensively discriminating. Inviolable – That must not or cannot be transgressed, dishonoured, or broken; to be kept sacred. Irony: the discrepancy between what is said and what is meant, what is said and what is done, what is expected or intended and what happens, what is meant or said and what others understand.Sometimes irony is classified into types: in situational irony, expectations aroused by a situation are reversed; in cosmic irony or the irony of fate, misfortune is the result of fate, chance, or God; in dramatic irony. the audience knows more than the characters in the play, so that words and action have additional meaning for the audience; Socratic irony is named after Socrates' teaching method, whereby he assumes ignorance and openness to opposing points of view which turn out to be (he shows them to be) foolish. J Joskin – Country bumpkin.Juxtaposition – an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast. 2) the state of being close together or side by side   Juxtaposition – when two contrasting ideas, images, phrases, descriptions are placed close together to emph asise their differences. K Kenning – A kenning is a much-compressed form of metaphor, originally used in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry. In a kenning, an object is described in a two-word phrase, such as ‘whale-road' for ‘sea'. Some kennings can be more obscure than others, and then grow close to being a riddle.Judith Nicholls' ‘Bluebottle' uses kennings as part of a larger poem, that is itself a riddle; Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters go further, building a pair of poems both consisting entirely of kennings. Kunstlerroman – Development of the artist through a novel similar in some respects to the Bildungsroman. L Lacustrine – Of, growing in or dwelling in lakes. Lagan – Goods or wreckage on the seabed. Langrage – Shot used to damage rigging. Laniferous – Wool bearing. Larceny – A technical word for theft (Larcenous). Larrikin – Rowdy street hooligan.Lepidopterist – A person who collects or studies m oths and butterflies. Lugubrious – Excessively mournful; doleful. Lyric Poetry:a short poem with one speaker (not necessarily the poet) who expresses thought and feeling. Though it is sometimes used only for a brief poem about feeling (like the sonnet). it is more often applied to a poem expressing the complex evolution of thoughts and feeling, such as the elegy, the dramatic monologue, and the ode. The emotion is or seems personal In classical Greece, the lyric was a poem written to be sung, accompanied by a lyre. MMaculation – A pattern of spots as on certain plants and animals. Maelstrom – A large powerful whirlpool 2) Any turbulent confusion. Magniloquent – (of speech) Lofty in style. Malaise – A feeling of unease, mild sickness, or depression. Manumit – To free from slavery, servitude, etc. ; emancipation. Manumission. Manumitter. Maudlin – Foolishly tearful or sentimental, as when drunk. Maunder – To move, talk, or walk a imlessly or idly. Maundy – The ceremony of washing the feet of the poor. (Christianity). Mawkish – Falsely sentimental, esp. in a weak or maudlin way. Melliferous – Forming or producing honey.Meretricious – Superficially or garishly attractive. 2 – Insincere: meretricious praise. Metafictional – Fiction about fiction; or more esp a kind of fiction that openly comments on its own fictional status. Metaphor – An expression which describes a person or object in a literary way by referring to something that is considered to have similar characteristics to the person or object you are trying to describe. (Noun) Metre – Metre is from the Greek word for measuring; at its most basic, metre is a system of describing what we can measure about the audible features of a poem.The systems that have been used in history to structure metres are: the number of syllables (syllabic); the duration of syllables (quantitative); the number of stresse d syllables, or accents (accentual); and combinations of the above. English is not a language that works easily in quantitative metre (although this has not stopped people trying), and it has developed an accentual-syllabic metre for its formal verse. This means that, in a formal poem, the poet will be counting the syllables, the stresses, and keeping them to a pattern.To describe the pattern, the stressed and unstressed syllables are gathered into groups known as feet, and the number of feet to a line gives a name thus: 1 foot: monometer? 2 feet: dimeter? 3 feet: trimeter? 4 feet: tetrameter? 5 feet: pentameter? 6 feet: hexameter? 7 feet: heptameter? 8 feet: octameter Lines of less than 3 or more than 6 feet are rare in formal poems. The pattern of the syllables within a foot is also noted. A foot that is one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, for example, is an iamb; three of these in a row would be an iambic trimeter, while five make the famous iambic pentameter.All the common feet are outlined under ‘Foot' in the glossary. Like the rhythm in a piece of music, the metre is an underlying structure. Poets often slip in extra feet, or remove them, or change stress patterns around to prevent monotony, like playing rubato. (Sometimes a poem seems to be exploring how far a line can be pushed without losing all connection with the underlying metre. ) This means that the discovery of a foot other than an iamb in the middle of what is otherwise iambic, say, does not stop the poem from being ambic; rather the attention ends up lingering at that point, so the word on the different foot ends up more powerful as it has the attention longer. An example of this can be found in Peter Dale's ‘Half-Light'; he writes â€Å"I'm trying not to give another glance. / Lit window thirty years back up that path. † The first line is a perfectly regular iambic pentameter, but the second introduces an extra stress on â€Å"Lit†, so that what the s peaker's trying not to be drawn to seems more powerful, perhaps helping us empathise with him when he does look back and â€Å"catch her eye an instant†.Metonymy – where one term is used in place of something else that it is related to or often associated with; like saying the White House for the president, or Hollywood for the American film industry. Mimetic – Mimics the real world; the text behaves formally in a way to report the world outside. You look at objects and describe how the physical senses receive them. Mithridate – A substance believed to be an antidote to every poison and a cure for every disease. Mitigated – To make or become less severe or harsh.Mobius Strip – A one sided continuous surface, made by twisting a long narrow rectangular strip of material through 180 ° and joining the ends. Mobocracy – Rule or domination by a mob. Modernism – Loosely, a term referring to experimental and avant- garde trends in li terature and other arts in the early 20th century, which resulted from conscious rejections of traditional 19th century artistic conventions like realism and traditional verse forms. Some of the experimental forms include symbolism, expressionism, and surrealism, and some narrative innovations include stream-of-consciousness and multiple points of view.A problematic term, since we are always already in the modern moment. Morass – Swamp; something that entangles, impedes or confuses. Moribund – Near-death, stagnant, without force or vitality. Moribundity, moribundly. Munificent – Very liberal in giving or bestowing; very generous; lavish. Myopia / Myopic – Inability to see distant objects clearly because images are focused in front of the retina. N Nacreous – Relating to or consisting of mother-of-pearl. 2) Having the lustre of mother-of-pearl. Naturalism – Is sometimes claimed to give a more accurate depiction of life than realism.It is a mo de of fiction that was developed by a school of writers in accordance with a particular philosophical thesis. The thesis, a product of post-Darwinian biology in the nineteenth century, held that human beings exist entirely in the order of nature and does not have a soul nor any mode of participating in a religious or spiritual world beyond the natural world; and therefore, that such a being is merely a higher-order animal whose character and behaviour are entirely determined by two kinds of forces, heredity and environment.A person inherits compulsive instincts – especially hunger, and the drive to accumulate possessions, and sexuality – and is then subject to the social and economic forces in the family, the class, and the milieu into which that person is born. The novel is organized in a mode of a scientific experiment on the behaviour of the characters it depicts. Naturalist writers try to present their subjects with scientific objectivity and with elaborate documen tation, sometimes including an almost medical frankness about activities and bodily functions usually unmentioned in earlier literature.They tend to choose characters that exhibit a strong animalistic drive towards greed and sexual desire and who are helpless victims both of glandular excretions and of sociological pressures without. The end is usually tragic, not in the Elizabethan sense, but of a losing struggle of the individual mind and will against gods, enemies, and circumstances. Instead the protagonist is a pawn to multiple compulsions, and usually disintegrates or is wiped out. OObdurately/ Obdurate – Not easily moved by feelings or supplication; hard-hearted, impervious to persuasion, esp moral persuasion. Objectivist – Humans are treated as objects – subjects should be treated as objects. Occlude – To block up or stop up (a passage or opening). Ode – An ode is a lyric poem, usually addressing a particular person or thing. It originated i n Ancient Greece, and the Pindaric ode (so-called because it was written by the Theban poet Pindar, 518 ? 442 BC) was based on a pattern of three stanzas called the strophe, antistrophe and epode.It was performed by a chorus, which walked along one side of the orchestra chanting the strophe and down the other side chanting the antistrophe, then came to a standstill before the audience and chanted the epode. This performance was repeated with each set of three stanzas. The Horatian ode (invented by the Latin poet Horace in about 65 BC) was adopted in the early 19th century by John Keats for one of his most famous poems, ‘Ode to a Nightingale'. Many modern odes, however, are irregular in form, such as ‘Intimations of Immortality' from ‘Recollections of Early Childhood' by William Wordsworth.While the ode does not necessarily have a regular metre or fixed rhyme scheme, Kit Wright's tongue-in-cheek Ode to Didcot Power Station uses both – as well as a repertoire of old-fashioned language – to parody the lofty style traditionally associated with this form. As Wright says in his introduction, â€Å"if you're going to have an ode, why not go the whole hog? † Oeuvre – A work of art, literature, music etc. Oligarchy – Government by a small group of people. Olivaceous – Of an olive colour. Onomatopoeia – Onomatopoeia is the forming and use of words and phrases to mitate or suggest the sounds they describe, such as bang, whisper, cuckoo, splash and fizz. Onomatopoeia is one of the resources of language more often used by poets than prose writers; this is because poetry is made for the ear as well as the eye, and depends more heavily than prose does on sound-effects. Spike Milligan's ‘On the Ning Nang Nong' makes heavy use of onomatopoeia, but it can play a role in classic poetry too – an example is the use of â€Å"Crash'd† to describe the noise of battle in Tennyson's ‘The Charge of the Heavy Brigade'.Opulence – Having or indicating wealth. Abundant or plentiful. Overslaugh – To pass over or disregard (a person) by giving a promotion, position, etc, to another instead. Oxymoron – Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two terms appear to contradict each other. Some examples have become so familiar that we hardly notice the contradiction, eg deafening silence. The word comes from the Greek: oxus (‘sharp') and moros (‘foolish'). P Paladins – One of the legendary twelve peers of Charlemagne’s court. 2) A knightly champion.Parody – Parody is the imitation of the style of another work, writer or genre, which relies on deliberate exaggeration to achieve comic or satirical effect. It is usually necessary to be familiar with the original in order to appreciate the parody, though some parodies have become better known than the poems they imitate. Pastiche – A work of art that mixes styles, materials etc. 2) A work of art that imitates the style of another artist or period. Pathos – Pathos is part of a poem or other work of art which makes the reader or audience feel sorrow or pity.The Greek word pathos means ‘suffering'. Pathos is a key skill for any writer, and a highly effective feature of many poems, often in those cases where it is somewhat restrained or understated. Poetry has a special reputation for being able to move us. On the other hand, a clumsy or exaggerated attempt at pathos can result instead in bathos or over-sentimentality or make the reader feel manipulated. Pedant – A person who relies too much on academic learning or who is concerned chiefly with insignificant detail. Pedantry – The habit or an instance of being a pedant, esp. in the display of useless knowledge or minute observance of petty rules or details. Peregrinate – To travel or wander about from place to place. Peripatetic – Of or relating to the teachings of Arist otle (384-322B. C. ), Greek philosopher who used to teach whilst walking about. Peripeteia, Peripetia – (esp. in drama) an abrupt turn of events or reversal. Persona – A persona is a fictional character. Sometimes the term means the mask or alter-ego of the author; it is often used for first person works and lyric poems, to distinguish the writer of the work from the character in the work.Personification – in which a concept, idea, object or animal is given human qualities (think of every Bugs Bunny cartoon you ever saw). Perspicuity – The quality of being perspicuous. Perspicuous – (of speech or writing) – easily understood; lucid. Pertinacious – Doggedly resolute in purpose or belief; unyielding. Planchette – A heart-shaped board on wheels with a pencil attached that writes messages under supposed spirit guidance. Platitude – A trite, dull or obvious remark or statement; common place. 2 Staleness or insipidity of thoug ht or language; triteness.Pogroms – An organised persecution or extermination of an ethnic group, esp of Jews. Polemic – Of or involving dispute or controversy. Politburo – The executive and policy-making committee of a communist party. Politic – Artful or shrewd; ingenious: a politic manager. Pollard – An animal, such as a sheep or deer, that has either shed its horns or antlers or has had them removed. Polled – (of animals) having the horns cut off or being naturally hornless. Pollinosis – Technical name for hay fever. Polymath – A person of great and varied learning.Posit – To assume or put forward as fact or the factual basis for an argument; postulate. Postmodernism – Involves not only the continuation, sometimes carried to an extreme, of the countertraditional experiments of modernism, but also attempts to break away form the modernist forms which had, inevitably, become conventional, as well as to overthrow the elitism of modernist â€Å"high art† by recourse to the models of â€Å"mass culture† in film, television, newspaper cartoons, and popular music. Prescience – nowledge of events before they take place; foresight. Presentiment – A sense of something about to happen.Probabilistic – Gives us a sample that seems most probable; it gives us a slice of life; it makes sure we feel this is a typical representation of the world therefore when they do something out of the norm it is significant. (Humanist tradition = man is the measure of all things). Realism creates situations where humans control everything; otherwise it exceeds the realms of probability. Prolepses – Slowing down/ speeding up of events and other distortions of the linear sequence. Prolix – Wordy, extending to great length. 2) Tending to speak or write at excessive length.Propitious – Presenting favourable circumstances or conditions. 2) Favourably inclinded; gracio us; benevolent. Prose poetry – A prose poem is a poem that does not use line breaks. This still allows the poet to use alliteration, metaphor, ambiguity, personification, and many other poetic techniques, but it can still be strange to see a poem that goes all the way to the right-hand margin. One thing that may differentiate a prose poem from a very short story is that the latter will have a stronger preference for narrative than the former, but this is very much debatable.John Ashbery's ‘For John Clare' is a good example, one that explores the contrast between openness and containment; as John Clare was a poet who was devoted to nature, but locked in an asylum, it could be suggested that it is very appropriate to see the subject explored without the containment that line-endings would give. Prosody – The study and notation of metre. Protagonist – The protagonist is the main character, who is not necessarily a hero or a heroine. The antagonist is the oppo nent; the antagonist may be society, nature, a person, or an aspect of the protagonist.The antihero, a recent type, lacks or seems to lack heroic traits. Providence – Is the idea that good can come out of evil. Purulent – Of relating to, or containing pus. Q R Raucous – (of voices or cries) Harshly or hoarsely load. Reactionary – Reactionist – of relating to or characterised by reaction, esp against radical political or social change. Realism – Realistic fiction is said to oppose Romanticism. The romance is said to present life as we would have it be – more picturesque, fantastic, adventurous, or heroic than actuality; realism is said to present life as it really is.Realistic fiction is written to give the effect that it represents real life and the social world as it appears to the common reader, evoking the sense that the characters actually exist, and that such things might actually happen. Techniques used include the use of the â €˜commonplace everyday setting,’ represented in minute detail. Events, whether ordinary or extraordinary are all rendered in the same matter-of-fact, circumstantial and seemingly unselective way. Recondite – Difficult to understand; abstruse. ) concerned with obscure subject matter. Refrain – A refrain is a repeated part of a poem, particularly when it comes either at the end of a stanza or between two stanzas. Sebastian Barker's ‘The Uncut Stone' has a traditional refrain, consisting of two rhymed sentences that never change at the end of each stanza; James Fenton uses a slightly looser type of refrain in ‘In Paris With You', where the title returns at the end of almost every stanza, but with slight additions so that it continues the sentence of which it is a part.Some forms, such as villanelles, demand a refrain as part of their definitions. With every line repeated, a pantoum might be said to be made entirely of refrains, but this would be an u nusual usage, as refrains tend to be thought of as a moment of repetition within an otherwise flowing poem. Regicidal – The person who kills a king. Regicide – The killing of a king. Requiem – A mass celebrated for the dead – 2 – Any piece of music composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person or persons.Rhyme – Rhyme is the repetition of the end-sounds of words. Examples include Valerie Bloom's use of â€Å"tramp† and â€Å"camp† in ‘The River', Roger McGough's use of â€Å"breath† and â€Å"death† in ‘Oxygen', and Peter Porter's rhyme of a single-syllable word with a polysyllable, â€Å"stars† with â€Å"particulars†, in ‘So, Francis, Where's the Sun? ‘. Each of these is an example of end-rhyme, which means the rhyme occurs at the end of a line, but rhyme can also happen within a line, where it is known as internal rhyme.A rhyme on a stressed syllable, as in the examp les above, is sometimes referred to as ‘masculine rhyme'; its counterpart, feminine rhyme, is made up of a stressed syllable followed by one or more unstressed syllables, such as â€Å"fishes† and â€Å"wishes† in Charles Causley's ‘At the British War Cemetery, Bayeux'. These near-exact repetitions of end-sounds are known as full rhyme (sometimes as perfect, true or exact rhyme).There are also various forms of near-rhymes (half-rhymes, slant-rhymes, pararhymes), which are not exact repetitions, but are close enough to resonate, as David Harsent's use of â€Å"supper† and â€Å"blubber† as rhymes in ‘Marriage: XVI', or P J Kavanagh's â€Å"happy† / â€Å"Cavafy† in ‘Perfection Isn't Like A Perfect Story'. Further types of rhyme include eye-rhyme, which looks like it should rhyme but doesn't (e. g. through / although), and rime riche, in which the words that rhyme sound identical (e. g. hare / hair).Rhyme can be used pu rely for its own sake, because it sounds good, but there may also be further reasons; for example, the form of terza rima has overlapping rhymes that give the poem forward motion, as in George Szirtes' ‘Preston North End', each stanza's middle line giving the rhyme for the outer two lines of the next stanza. The â€Å"breath† / â€Å"death† rhyme, noted above, is not only nice in the ears but resonates because these two concepts are linked, as they are in the poem. Ribald / Ribaldry – Coarse, obscene, or licentious, usually in a humorous or mocking way†¦ SSacrosanct – Very sacred or holy; inviolable. Sadomasochism – The combination of sadistic and masochistic elements in one person, characterised by both aggressive and submissive periods in relationships with others. Sagittal – Resembling an arrow; straight. Sagittate – Shaped like the head of an arrow (esp. , of leaves). Salacious – Lustful, lecherous. Salient †“ Prominent, conspicuous, or a striking salient feature. Sallow – (human skin) – Of an unhealthy yellow. Salutary – Salubrious (healthy) – producing good effects; beneficial. Saprozoic – (of animals or plants) – feeding on dead organic matter.Sardonic – Characterised by satire, mockery, or derision (sardonically). Sasquatch – (In Canadian folklore) – In British Columbia, a hairy beast or manlike monster said to leave huge footprints. Scansion – The individual metrical pattern of a particular line or poem. Schism – The division of a group into opposing factions. 3 Division within or separation from an established church especially the Roman Catholic Church, not necessarily involving differences in doctrine. Self-reflexive – A term applied to literary works that openly reflect upon their own processes of artful composition; how they are written put together.Senescence / senescent – 1) Growing Old 2) Characteristic of old age. Sententious – Characterised or full of aphorisms, terse, pithy sayings, or axioms, tending to indulge in pompous moralising. Sentient / Sentience – Having power of sense perception or sensation, conscious. Sestina – A sestina is a form that uses six six-line stanzas, each using the same six words at the end of its lines in different orders, followed by an envoi of three lines using two of those words to each line. They tend to be written in iambic pentameter, and without rhyme.Later sestinas sometimes allow homophones – such as ‘hare' and ‘hair' – for the repeat words, or even looser interpretations. Simile – (The use of) an expression comparing one thing with another, always including the words ‘as' or ‘like'. (noun) Sjuzhet – How the events are arranged and related to the narrative sequence. Solecism – The non-standard use of a grammatical construction. 2) A violation of good manners. Solipsism / solipsist / solipsistic – Philosophy – the extreme form of scepticism which denies the possibility of any knowledge other than one’s own existence. onnet – A sonnet, in English poetry, is a poem of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter, that has one of two regular rhyme schemes – although there are a couple of exceptions, and years of experimentation that have loosened this definition. One of these schemes is known as the Petrarchan, after the Italian poet Petrarch; it consists of a group of eight lines, rhymed abbaabba, followed by a group of six lines with different rhymes. The distribution of these rhymes can vary, including cdcede, cdecde, cdedce, or even cdcdcd.Often, at the point where the eight-line section, known as the octave, turns into the six-line section, or sestet, there is a volta, from the Italian for ‘turn' – this is a shift in the poem's tone, subject or logic that gains power from (or demands? ) the matching shift in its structure. The Shakespearean sonnet breaks into three quatrains, followed by a couplet, rhymed abab cdcd efef gg – as the name suggests, this is the form Shakespeare used for his sonnets, although he did not invent it. In Shakespeare's usage, the three quatrains tend to make an argument in three stages, which the couplet will sum up or comment on.The main exceptions are the curtal sonnet, a form invented by Gerard Manley Hopkins that roughly maintains the 8:6 ratio over a ten-and-a-half line poem, and the Meredithian sonnet of 16 lines. The fact that these are still referred to as a curtal and a Meredithian sonnet, however, shows that they are not (yet? ) considered sonnets per se. There are also innumerable individual exceptions to the form – a poet may refer to a poem as a sonnet because it meets some of the descriptions above, or even just because s/he says so.This means that calling a poem a sonnet is not necessarily to defi ne it strictly, but to say that it stands in relation to the long tradition of sonnets. Specious – Apparently correct or true, but actually wrong or false. 2 Deceptively attractive in appearance. Spelunker – A person whose hobby is the exploration of caves. Spurious – Not genuine or real. 2 Having the appearance of another part but differing from it in origin (of plants). Stanza – A stanza is a group of lines within a poem; the blank line between stanzas is known as a stanza break.Like lines, there is no set length to a stanza or an insistence that all stanzas within a poem need be the same length. However, there are names for stanzas of certain lengths: two-line stanzas are couplets; three-lines, tercets; four-lines, quatrains. (Rarer terms, like sixains and quatorzains, are very rarely used. ) Whether regular or not, the visual effect and, sometimes, the aural effect is one of uniting the sense of the stanza into one group, so poets can either let their sentences fit neatly within these groups, or create flow and tension by enjambing across the stanza breaks.Stentorian – (of the voice) uncommonly loud. Stress – Stress is the emphasis that falls on certain syllables and not others; the arrangement of stresses within a poem is the foundation of poetic rhythm. The process of working out which syllables in a poem are stressed is known as scansion; once a metrical poem has been scanned, it should be possible to see the metre. By way of example, the word â€Å"produce† can be pronounced with the stress on either syllable – a farmer may proDUCE carrots, which a greengrocer will sell as PRODuce.Similarly, the differently placed stress is what separates the English and American pronunciations of â€Å"defence†. Longer words may have more than one stress – â€Å"photography†, for example, is stressed on both ‘-tog-‘ and ‘-phy'. In some places, including the Oxford English Di ctionary, a difference is drawn between