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impossible comparison

Device
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 metaphor comparing things in an implausible or paradoxical way

Detailed Definition
Impossible comparison links two fundamentally unlike things in a metaphor or simile that defies logical categorization—such as “her silence was a thunderstorm”—to generate startling insight through dissonance; this technique, central to metaphysical conceits and surrealist imagery, uses irrationality to reveal hidden emotional or perceptual truths.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Her laughter is heavier than mountains”; “His shadow outshone the sun”; “The silence ran faster than the wind”; “Her sorrow was colder than fire”
Additional Notes
A comparison (simile or metaphor) that is deliberately nonsensical or logically unfeasible; challenges the reader's assumptions about reality and poetic convention; related to surrealism and 'impossible couplet'.
Also Known As
unreal comparison fanciful simile impossible likeness metaphorical paradox Chimeric metaphor
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