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drawing lots

Games
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

Drawing lots is the selection of marked objects from a container to assign outcomes or duties by chance.

Detailed Definition
Drawing lots appears in poetry as a ritual of fair or fateful assignment among equals. In literary contexts it symbolizes the impartiality of chance. Poets draw on the process to explore themes of equality before fortune, the tension of the draw, and the acceptance of the selected portion as the will of fate or the group.
Example
Example in poetry:
Drawing lots assigns portions in poems of fairness, desperation, or sacred decision; Verse stages the moment when marked objects are taken from a common container; “They drew lots for the watch and for the blame” demonstrates impartial distribution; Educational examples present the practice as the equalizing form of chance; Poets keep the image when the outcome must be accepted as beyond individual control.
Additional Notes
Drawing lots turns the assignment of fate into a visible and often communal ritual. The gesture of reaching into the container supplies poets with a physical action that can be slowed or charged with feeling. Instructors may contrast drawing lots with casting lots to clarify differences in procedure and tone. Related practices include drawing straws and the various forms of sortition. The image works best when the outcome must be accepted as both fair and final.
Also Known As
lottery draw chance selection random choice
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