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Heroic utterance

Concept
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 grand, elevated, or morally resolute statement made by a poetic speaker in the face of adversity

Detailed Definition
Heroic utterance is a mode of poetic speech characterized by elevated diction, grand thematic scope, and assertive rhythm, often invoking mythic or historical archetypes to articulate moral resolve, communal values, or existential defiance in the face of adversity or fate.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” Henry’s St. Crispin’s Day speech (“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”) is a heroic utterance; In Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” Satan declares “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n”; In Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” “I am the dream and the hope of the slave” asserts resilience; In Langston Hughes’s “I, Too,” “I, too, am America” claims belonging with moral authority.
Additional Notes
Heroic utterance conveys grand, elevated speech associated with epic or mythic figures; often uses archaic diction, parallelism, or declarative syntax—modern uses may be ironic or subversive.
Also Known As
Epic declaration mythic speech valorous utterance noble proclamation Homeric line noble speech
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