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heels

Apparel
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

Footwear with a raised heel, especially women's dress shoes, appearing in poetry as a symbol of femininity, seduction, and the precarious balance of elegance and power.

Detailed Definition
Heels are a loaded garment in modern and contemporary poetry, carrying strong associations with female allure, ambition, and the physical pain often endured for fashion. The click of heels on a pavement is a distinct sound that poets often use to mark a woman's entrance or departure. Their height elevates the wearer, changing posture and gait, and this transformation is a frequent subject—heels as a tool of empowerment or a device of constraint. In love poetry, the removal of heels is a gesture of relaxation and intimacy, allowing the feet to rest. In feminist verse, heels are often critiqued as a patriarchal imposition, but also reclaimed as a form of self-expression. Their appearance in a poem instantly signals a contemporary or mid-20th-century setting, and their varied styles—stilettos, wedges, block heels—allow for precise visual and emotional description.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The click of her heels on the pavement was a code only the city understood"; "She stepped out of her heels and felt the earth rise to meet her"; "His heels struck the floor like a heartbeat"; "The heels' red soles were the only color in the monochrome room"; "She walked on heels that were a triumph of engineering and a defeat of anatomy"; "Heels, like ambition, lift you up and make every step a risk"
Additional Notes
Heels are a loaded garment in modern and contemporary poetry, carrying strong associations with female allure, ambition, and the physical pain often endured for fashion. The click of heels on a pavement is a distinct sound that poets often use to mark a woman's entrance or departure. Their height elevates the wearer, changing posture and gait, and this transformation is a frequent subject—heels as a tool of empowerment or a device of constraint. In love poetry, the removal of heels is a gesture of relaxation and intimacy, allowing the feet to rest. In feminist verse, heels are often critiqued as a patriarchal imposition, but also reclaimed as a form of self-expression. Their appearance in a poem instantly signals a contemporary or mid-20th-century setting, and their varied styles—stilettos, wedges, block heels—allow for precise visual and emotional description. Related terms include pumps, shoes, and boots. Students should note the heel's dual nature as both empowering and constraining, and its role in signaling femininity and urbanity.
Also Known As
rearward steps following feet traces
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