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Collage technique

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

A method of assembling fragments and quotations into poetic form.

Detailed Definition
Collage technique in poetry involves assembling disparate textual fragments—quotations, found language, headlines, diary entries, or overheard speech—into a unified yet heterogeneous composition; this method, influenced by visual arts and Dada, foregrounds juxtaposition and intertextuality, creating meaning through collision rather than narrative, as practiced by T.S. Eliot in The Waste Land or contemporary poets like M. NourbeSe Philip.
Example
Example in poetry:
T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” exemplifies collage technique through fragmented voices, languages, and literary allusions; William Carlos Williams’ “Paterson” weaves newspaper clippings, letters, and local history into poetic fabric; In M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!,” legal documents are cut and rearranged to form poetic testimony; Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” collages lyric essay, visual art, and pop culture to explore racial subjectivity; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Wade in the Water,” archival letters and spirituals are collaged into contemporary elegy.
Additional Notes
Collage technique assembles found text, quotes, or disparate fragments into a unified poem; rooted in modernist and postmodern practice—use scissors-and-glue or digital cut-up methods for inspiration.
Also Known As
Assemblage method patchwork technique composite approach collage style
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