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admitting volta

Device
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 turn in a poem that concedes a point or acknowledges a counter-argument

Detailed Definition
An admitting volta is a pivotal turn in a poem where the speaker concedes a truth, acknowledges a limitation, or accepts a previously resisted idea, often introducing vulnerability or humility; this rhetorical shift deepens emotional resonance by revealing internal conflict resolved through recognition rather than denial, commonly found in sonnets and meditative lyrics.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29, the volta admits despair before turning to hope: “Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, / Haply I think on thee”; In “Ode to a Nightingale,” Keats admits mortality: “Now more than ever seems it rich to die”; In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Eliot admits futility: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons”; In “One Art,” Bishop admits loss is hard despite claiming it’s “no disaster.”
Additional Notes
Admitting volta: A type of volta (poetic turn) where the poet acknowledges a shift in thought or introduces a contrast; often used in sonnets to introduce resolution.
Also Known As
Volta of admission Granting turn Allowing shift Concessional volta
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