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Apostrophic turn

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 shift in a poem where the speaker addresses an absent or non-human entity

Detailed Definition
An apostrophic turn occurs when a poem shifts address to speak directly to an absent person, abstract concept, inanimate object, or deceased figure, often heightening emotional intensity or philosophical reflection; this rhetorical gesture, common in odes and elegies, creates intimacy and dramatic urgency, as in John Donne’s “Death, be not proud,” where mortality itself is personified and confronted.
Example
Example in poetry:
“O Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty…” (Donne’s address to Death); “Muse, tell me of the man of many ways…” (Homer’s invocation); “O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being…” (Shelley’s apostrophe); “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Macbeth’s plea to night)
Additional Notes
An apostrophic turn occurs when the speaker directly addresses an absent person, abstract concept, or inanimate object—common in odes and elegies to heighten emotional intensity (e.g., “O Death!”).
Also Known As
Apostrophic shift direct address turn vocative pivot invocation moment Address turn Apostrophic pivot
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