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Concrete composition

Form
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 poem whose shape or visual arrangement contributes to its meaning, also known as shaped poetry

Detailed Definition
A poem whose arrangement of text on the page is integral to its meaning, with lines physically shaped or positioned in forms that visually represent its subject. Also called a shaped or pattern poem, concrete composition merges visual art and verbal content.
Example
Example in poetry:
George Herbert’s “Easter Wings”; Apollinaire’s “Il Pleut” shaped as falling rain; A poem arranged as a tree silhouette; Text forming a heart pattern
Additional Notes
Visual arrangement of text as part of poem’s meaning; related to calligrams and pattern poetry; combines visual art with literature.
Also Known As
Pattern poem Shaped verse Visual poetry Calligram Figural poetry
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