Home › Glossary › Letter I

irritable state

Concept
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 psychological or emotional state of acute sensitivity or agitation, often explored in confessional or introspective poetry.

Detailed Definition
A psychological condition of heightened irritability or agitation explored as theme in poetry, particularly in confessional and emotional verse. This state of nervous sensitivity or testiness provides material for examining psychological vulnerability and emotional volatility. Plath and other confessional poets explored such states authentically, demonstrating how extreme emotional conditions can generate powerful poetic material when rendered with genuine voice.
Example
Example in poetry:
Irritable state conveys poetic agitation or unrest: Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale” (“My heart aches”); Sylvia Plath’s “Ariel” (“And I / Am the arrow”); modern examples include Anne Sexton’s confessional rage; W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming” (“Things fall apart”); Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” balances tenderness with anxiety.
Additional Notes
Psychological state that can provide rich material for confessional or emotional poetry. Plath and other confessional poets explored such states. Requires authentic voice to avoid seeming artificial.
Also Known As
Hypersensitive state Aesthetic agitation Nervous irritability Erethism
Skip to main content