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Balanced opposition

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 structure in which contrasting parts are arranged symmetrically.

Detailed Definition
Balanced opposition is a rhetorical or structural device where contrasting ideas, images, or syntactic units are presented with equal weight and parallel form, creating tension and harmony simultaneously; common in antithesis or heroic couplets, it underscores duality while maintaining formal equilibrium.
Example
Example in poetry:
Alexander Pope’s “Essay on Man”: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: / Man never is, but always to be blest”; balanced opposition uses parallel syntax for antithesis; in “The Waste Land,” “I had not thought death had undone so many” opposes life/death; contemporary example: Tracy K. Smith contrasts “Hubble’s lens” with “human eyes” in “Life on Mars”; this technique clarifies conflict through symmetry; it’s central to heroic couplets and epigrams.
Additional Notes
Balanced opposition is a rhetorical device where contrasting ideas or phrases are placed in parallel structure, often creating a sense of equilibrium or conflict (e.g., "To err is human; to forgive, divine"); an aspect of antithesis.
Also Known As
balanced duality symmetrical opposition poised contrast mirrored conflict Antithesis
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