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Ben

Historical Figure
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 personal name in Abou Ben Adhem, the charitable protagonist of Leigh Hunt’s poem; “Ben” forms part of his traditional Arabic-style name.

Detailed Definition
Ben appears in the poem as part of the full name Abou Ben Adhem. In this context it is not the common English word but a name element readers may want to identify as part of the character’s designation.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)” opens Leigh Hunt’s poem about charity and spiritual worth; Ben Adhem is a fictionalized Muslim figure whose name gives the moral tale an Eastern setting; “Write me as one who loves his fellow-men” states the poem’s ethical center; named characters can embody an idea while still speaking in a memorable dramatic scene
Additional Notes
The evidence shows "Ben" as part of a proper name, so readers may need to recognize it as a name component rather than an ordinary word.; Found in the poem, Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt
Also Known As
benevolent kind-hearted
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