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Introductory device

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 poetic technique used to begin a piece, often adding framing or context

Detailed Definition
An introductory device in poetry is a formal or rhetorical strategy used at the outset of a poem to establish tone, voice, context, or thematic direction—such as an invocation, epigraph, apostrophe, question, or narrative frame; these openings serve as thresholds that guide the reader’s expectations and interpretive stance, as seen in Milton’s invocation to the Muse in “Paradise Lost,” the epistolary address in Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Armadillo,” or the declarative immediacy of Lucille Clifton’s “won’t you celebrate with me,” which begins with a direct plea that sets up the poem’s celebratory yet defiant stance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 1 opens with “From fairest creatures we desire increase” as introductory device for procreation theme; Emily Dickinson’s “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—” uses deathbed scene as introductory device; Contemporary poet Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” uses second-person address as introductory device; Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” opens with “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” as introductory device; Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” begins with “You do not do, you do not do” as introductory device; Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” uses self-address as introductory device.
Additional Notes
Introductory device prepares the reader for a poem’s theme or tone (e.g., epigraph, invocation). Related to preface technique and opening flourish. Keep concise—its power lies in framing, not explaining; revisit after reading to spot foreshadowing.
Also Known As
Opening device Prologue cue Entry flourish Fronsio
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