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conceptual image

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

An image that conveys abstract ideas rather than sensory impressions

Detailed Definition
A conceptual image is a poetic image that functions not merely as a sensory depiction but as a vehicle for abstract thought, philosophical inquiry, or intellectual synthesis; unlike purely visual or emotional imagery, it merges perception with cognition, often through metaphor or symbol, to explore ideas such as time, identity, or mortality, as in John Donne’s compass conceit representing spiritual union.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” the blackbird functions as a conceptual image representing perception, reality, and multiplicity; In Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is the thing with feathers,” the bird is not a literal creature but a conceptual image embodying the abstract idea of hope; In William Blake’s “The Tyger,” the tiger serves as a conceptual image of divine creation, terror, and awe; In T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the “yellow fog” acts as a conceptual image merging urban decay with emotional paralysis.
Additional Notes
A conceptual image conveys abstract ideas (e.g., justice, time) through symbolic or intellectual association rather than sensory depiction; often used in metaphysical or philosophical poetry.
Also Known As
Abstract image intellectual image symbolic image ideational image Ideograph
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