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Atmospheric pressure

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

The emotional or tonal weight bearing down on a poem's speaker or subject

Detailed Definition
Atmospheric pressure in poetry refers to the cumulative weight of diction, imagery, and rhythm that creates a palpable emotional or psychological climate—oppressive, buoyant, charged—within a text; this “pressure” shapes reader response through tonal density rather than explicit statement, as in Plath’s claustrophobic interiors.
Example
Example in poetry:
Atmospheric pressure: In Tracy K. Smith’s “The United States Welcomes You,” the accumulating tension in phrases like “Open your mouths. Speak. / We’ll record it…” conveys atmospheric pressure—the weight of surveillance and fear pressing on syntax and diction.
Additional Notes
Atmospheric pressure metaphorically refers to the emotional or tonal weight a poem exerts through diction, pacing, and imagery; dense pressure suggests tension, lightness implies release.
Also Known As
Atmospheric tension ambient force tonal pressure environmental intensity
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