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casting lots

Games
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

Casting lots is the practice of throwing or drawing marked objects to determine a decision or divine will by chance.

Detailed Definition
Casting lots enters poetry as a solemn or desperate appeal to chance as the arbiter of fate. In biblical and classical contexts it represents the seeking of higher judgment. Poets use the act to illustrate themes of surrender to the unknown, the division of spoils or duties, and the moments when human reason yields to the verdict of the lots.
Example
Example in poetry:
Casting lots decides fates in poems of biblical, classical, and folk tradition; Verse stages the moment when human will yields to the random fall of marked objects; “They cast lots for the garment and for the future” demonstrates sacred or desperate chance; Educational examples show the practice as the oldest form of fair decision; Poets keep the image when the outcome must be left to powers beyond calculation.
Additional Notes
Casting lots roots the poetry of decision in an ancient and often sacred practice of chance. The gesture itself—shaking, throwing, drawing—supplies a physical ritual that poets can slow or accelerate at will. Classroom discussion can usefully examine the tension between human agency and the surrender to the lot. Related practices include drawing straws and the biblical casting of lots. The image remains powerful because the outcome is accepted as final even when it is arbitrary.
Also Known As
random casting divination lots fate casting
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