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Figurative enjambment

Structure
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

The use of enjambment not merely for flow but to generate metaphorical meaning—such as tension, surprise, or layered interpretation—across line breaks.

Detailed Definition
Figurative enjambment: A type of enjambment where not only syntax but also figurative meaning spills across line breaks, compelling the reader to reinterpret imagery or metaphor mid-thought; this technique deepens ambiguity and creates layered semantic tension between lines.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Donne’s “The Good-Morrow”: “Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone, / Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown”—enjambment figuratively maps love; Emily Dickinson’s “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—” uses enjambment to fracture death’s moment; Sylvia Plath’s “Ariel” uses enjambment to accelerate horseback ride; W.S. Merwin’s unpunctuated lines use figurative enjambment to suggest erasure; Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” uses enjambment to split selfhood; contemporary poets use enjambment to embody trauma’s fragmentation.
Additional Notes
Enjambment creating metaphoric connection through line break. Break itself generates figurative meaning. Related: enjambment types, lineation. Advanced technique—study how syntax and figure interact.
Also Known As
Metaphorical enjambment Figurative run-on Symbolic line-break Carried-over imagery
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