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Fatalism

Psychology
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

Philosophical belief that all events are predetermined by fate, rendering human agency ineffective or illusory.

Detailed Definition
Fatalism conveys resignation to destiny. In poetry, it appears through passive voice, cyclical imagery, or references to fate, reflecting cultural or personal acceptance of suffering as inevitable, often tinged with melancholy or stoic acceptance.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Thomas Hardy’s “The Convergence of the Twain,” fatalism frames the Titanic’s sinking as predestined; In W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming,” fatalism colors apocalyptic vision; In Philip Larkin’s “Aubade,” fatalism accepts death as inevitable and meaningless; In Robert Frost’s “Design,” fatalism questions whether darkness governs life; In Sylvia Plath’s “Edge,” fatalism concludes life as “perfected” in death; In Derek Walcott’s “A Far Cry from Africa,” fatalism laments inescapable colonial violence.
Additional Notes
Fatalism—the belief that events are predetermined—often appears in elegiac or war poetry (Hardy, Owen); differs from determinism by its emotional resignation; poets use cosmic imagery, passive voice, or ironic tone to convey it; students should consider whether fatalism is comforting or despairing; note its link to historical context (e.g., postwar disillusionment); in craft, fatalism may flatten agency, creating tragic inevitability.
Also Known As
Determinism Pessimism Resignation Predestination
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