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cast

Craft Terms
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

Cast means to shape material by pouring it into a mold or to throw something in a directed way; in poetry, it can suggest making form, projecting feeling, or shaping an image.

Detailed Definition
In literal craft, cast refers to forming metal or other material in a mold. In poetry, it may also describe the way language throws light, shadow, or meaning across an image. The term belongs in craft language because it points to both physical making and artistic shaping.
Example
Example in poetry:
Bronze casting imagery appears in poems about permanence, as when a poet compares memory to a cast statue; A poet may describe casting a fishing line as a meditative act linking patience to poetic composition; In poems about grief, casting a shadow can symbolize the lingering presence of the dead; A poet might use the image of casting metal to explore how identity is shaped and hardened by experience; Casting a spell is a common trope in poems invoking incantation or ritual language; A poet describing sculpture may use casting to explore the tension between fixed form and living subject.
Additional Notes
Cast carries a dual meaning in craft discussions, referring both to the literal act of shaping material in a mold, as in metal casting, and to the more figurative sense of throwing or projecting, as in casting a shadow or casting doubt; poets often exploit this duality, using casting imagery to suggest that a poem's form gives permanent shape to otherwise fleeting experience; the term is also relevant to discussions of poetic persona, since a poet may be said to "cast" a speaker or character, drawing an implicit comparison between artistic creation and theatrical casting.
Also Known As
mold form pour shape found
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