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Antimetabolic structure

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 structural device based on chiastic reversal (A-B-B-A), where elements are repeated in inverted order; it frames poetic arguments, emphasizes cyclical patterns, and creates balance or closure through mirrored arrangement.

Detailed Definition
Antimetabolic structure employs chiasmus or reversal of word order in successive phrases or lines (e.g., “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country”) to create balance, contrast, or paradox; in poetry, it emphasizes dialectical thinking and rhetorical elegance through mirrored syntax.
Example
Example in poetry:
Antimetabolic structure reverses clause order in successive lines (AB/BA), as in Pope: “To err is human; to forgive, divine. / To doubt is human; to believe, divine.”
Additional Notes
Antimetabolic structure reverses clauses or phrases in successive lines (e.g., “Ask not what your country can do for you…”); enhances rhetorical power and thematic contrast.
Also Known As
Chiastic design Reversal structure Mirror pattern ABBA arrangement
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