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Ironic turn

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 shift in a poem that reveals a contradiction between expectation and reality, often with wry or critical intent

Detailed Definition
An ironic turn is a pivotal moment in a poem where tone, meaning, or expectation shifts through irony—verbal, situational, or dramatic—undercutting earlier assertions or revealing hidden contradictions; this twist generates critical distance, humor, or pathos, as when a seemingly celebratory stanza concludes with a devastatingly understated qualifier that redefines all that precedes it.
Example
Example in poetry:
Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”: “O thoughtless mortals! ever blind to fate, / Too soon dejected, and too soon elate”—mocking human vanity with ironic praise; Dorothy Parker’s “Résumé”: “Razors pain you; / Rivers are damp”—ironically dismissing suicide to highlight life’s absurd pains; Shakespeare’s Sonnet 138: “When my love swears that she is made of truth, / I do believe her though I know she lies”—love sustained by mutual deception; A modern example: “Thanks for the trauma. / It really built my character.”
Additional Notes
An ironic turn subverts expectations through a shift in tone, perspective, or meaning—often in the final lines; master this in sonnets or epigrams to deliver layered commentary.
Also Known As
Ironic Pivot Satirical Shift Wry Reversal Tongue-in-Cheek Turn Ironist's pivot Sarcastic volta
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