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Address turn

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A rhetorical shift in address from one figure to another in a poem

Detailed Definition
A shift in the identity of the addressee within a poem, where the speaker redirects their speech from one listener to another. This volta-like pivot can occur between stanzas or within stanzas, creating dramatic effects and revealing new perspectives. Address turns allow poets to explore multiple relationships within single poems, shift from private to public speech, or reveal the speaker's complex social positioning. The technique is common in dramatic monologues and odes with multiple invocations.
Example
Example in poetry:
An Address turn shifts the poem’s focus to directly speak to a person, entity, or abstraction: “O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being!” (Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind”); “Death, be not proud…” (Donne’s Holy Sonnet X); “America, I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing” (Ginsberg’s “America”); “O Muse, inspire my faltering tongue” (classical invocation); “Dear Future, I left you a mess—forgive me” (contemporary eco-poem); “Moon, why do you watch me with such cold eyes?” (haiku-inspired lyric).
Additional Notes
Address turn marks a shift in who or what the speaker addresses within a poem (e.g., from lover to God); signals thematic development or emotional pivot.
Also Known As
Turning address Apostrophic turn Vocative shift Apostrophic volta
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