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Inserted line

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 line added into a poem that interrupts the regular sequence, often for emphasis or contrast

Detailed Definition
Inserted line is a verse segment added into an existing poetic sequence, often disrupting expected rhythm or narrative flow to introduce commentary, contrast, or revelation; such lines may appear as parenthetical asides, interpolated voices, or editorial intrusions, functioning as textual “graftings” that complicate linear progression and deepen interpretive layers.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Waste Land,” T.S. Eliot inserts “HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME” into the pub scene; in “Paradise Lost,” Milton inserts a catalog of demons in Book I; in “Song of Myself,” Whitman inserts lists of American workers; in “Howl,” Ginsberg inserts specific names (“Moloch! Moloch!”) as inserted lines.
Additional Notes
An inserted line is a standalone phrase or sentence added to disrupt or comment on the main text; common in modernist and documentary poetry; students should consider its source, function, and relationship to surrounding lines.
Also Known As
Inserted stanza Disruptive line Foreign insertion Extraneous phrase Intercalary line
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