Home › Glossary › Letter E

expanding movement

Concept
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 movement in verse or theme that conveys growth or outward expansion

Detailed Definition
Expanding movement in poetry denotes a trajectory where imagery, syntax, or emotional scope widens progressively—from intimate detail to cosmic vision, personal grief to collective lament—creating a sense of ascent, revelation, or inclusivity; this movement often culminates in transcendent or panoramic closure.
Example
Example in poetry:
Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” uses cataloging for expanding movement; Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” builds momentum through accumulation; Hart Crane’s “The Bridge” uses syntactic propulsion; Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” uses prose blocks for expanding emotional movement; Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City” uses enjambment for expanding movement; contemporary long poems like M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!” use fragmentation for expanding historical movement.
Additional Notes
The development of a theme, idea, or image in a poem that is characterized by gradual growth, extension, or greater scope as the poem progresses; often signals a shift from personal to universal.
Also Known As
Unfolding movement Expansive flow Broadening motion Centrifugal movement
Skip to main content