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Dividing link

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 connective element that emphasizes separation or distinction between ideas

Detailed Definition
Dividing link is a connective element that simultaneously joins and separates parts of a poem. This paradoxical device marks boundaries while bridging them, making transitions visible as junctions rather than seamless flows, thus emphasizing both continuity and division in the poem's structure.
Example
Example in poetry:
In M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!,” white space between fragments acts as dividing link for drowned voices; In Layli Long Soldier’s “Whereas,” punctuation and indentation create dividing links between official and personal; In Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen,” page breaks function as dividing links between microaggressions; In Ocean Vuong’s “Time Is a Mother,” section breaks serve as dividing links between memory and present; In Jen Bervin’s “Nets,” translucent layers form dividing links between Shakespeare and erasure.
Additional Notes
Emphasizes separating function of linking words. Creates clear distinctions between contrasted elements. Useful in dialectical poetry and argument structures.
Also Known As
Separating link Divisive connection Fragmenting bridge Dirimens copulatio
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