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Conceit Paradox

Metaphysics
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 poetic device using seemingly contradictory statements within an extended metaphor to reveal deeper truths about existence or the divine.

Detailed Definition
The conceit paradox allows metaphysical poets to express the ineffable by embracing contradiction—such as “death, thou shalt die”—to unsettle logic and provoke insight. This technique mirrors theological mysteries (e.g., Christ’s dual nature) and captures the tension between human limitation and transcendent reality.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Donne’s “Batter my heart” presents the paradox of freedom through imprisonment; Emily Dickinson’s “Much Madness is divinest Sense” inverts societal logic; George Herbert’s “The Pulley” presents the paradox that restlessness leads to God; T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets” explores the paradox of stillness within movement; Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” declares “Dying / Is an art” while resisting death; Wallace Stevens’ “The Snow Man” requires one to “be nothing” to perceive reality.
Additional Notes
Conceit Paradox embraces contradiction as path to truth—Donne’s “Batter my heart” demands God’s violence to achieve freedom, illustrating how paradox expresses divine action that transcends human logic.
Also Known As
Paradoxical Conceit Logical Paradox Oxymoronic Metaphor
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