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Ghost

Symbolism
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 ghost symbolizes memory, unresolved grief, and the persistence of the past.

Detailed Definition
In poetry, ghosts need not be literal spirits; they may be old selves, absent lovers, inherited histories, or traumas that continue to inhabit the present. Their insubstantial form allows poets to explore what is felt but cannot be fully touched or explained. A ghost may accuse, comfort, or silently witness. By placing the living beside the dead, poets show how remembrance can become both a burden and a form of companionship.
Example
Example in poetry:
A ghost returning to a childhood home can symbolize unresolved memory rather than a literal supernatural figure; In Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the ghost of Hamlet's father symbolizes the past demanding justice from the living; A ghostly voice heard across water may symbolize grief that the speaker cannot escape; A poem may portray the speaker as a ghost in their own city to symbolize alienation and invisibility
Additional Notes
A ghost makes the past active in the present, often embodying memory, guilt, grief, inheritance, or an unresolved wrong. Notice whether it is literal, imagined, or metaphorical: each changes the poem’s relation to truth. Compare haunting with elegy, revenant, and personification. Study hint: ask what the ghost knows, wants, or prevents the speaker from forgetting.
Other Meanings of “Ghost”
Also Known As
Spirit Apparition Phantom Specter Spectre
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