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Appropriated text

Concept
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

The reuse of existing written material in a poem, often altered or placed in a new context

Detailed Definition
Appropriated text denotes the deliberate incorporation of pre-existing language—such as advertisements, legal documents, speeches, or other literary works—into a poem, often to critique, recontextualize, or dialogue with source material; central to postmodern and conceptual poetry, it challenges notions of originality and authorship.
Example
Example in poetry:
T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” appropriates Shakespeare, Buddha, and Wagner; Susan Howe’s “Singularities” weaves archival documents into verse; M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!” appropriates legal text from slave-ship massacre; contemporary example: Claudia Rankine quotes tennis commentary in “Citizen”; appropriated text challenges authorship and recontextualizes power; it often serves political or historiographic critique.
Additional Notes
Appropriated text is a poem or literary work created by taking pre-existing text (from another source like a newspaper, novel, or advertisement) and reusing it, often with minimal alteration, to create a new meaning or critique; see also Found Poetry.
Also Known As
Borrowed text Adopted writing Recontextualized poem Taken verse Found poem Found text
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