Home › Glossary › Letter K

Kenotic imagery

Imagery
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

Imagery drawn from Christian theology depicting self-emptying sacrifice (kenosis), especially Christ’s humility, used to explore humility, loss, or grace.

Detailed Definition
Kenotic imagery: Imagery that evokes self-emptying, humility, or sacrificial loss—drawing from the theological concept of kenosis (Christ’s emptying of divinity)—often used in devotional or post-secular poetry to explore vulnerability and grace.
Example
Example in poetry:
Christ’s emptying in Philippians 2 inspires kenotic imagery in Herbert’s “The Sacrifice”; R.S. Thomas uses kenotic imagery: “God dwindled to a whisper in the void”; Contemporary eco-poetry employs kenosis: “mountains bowing into dust”; In “Ash Wednesday,” Eliot writes of spiritual emptiness as kenotic surrender; Denise Levertov’s “Mass” uses kenotic imagery of divine absence
Additional Notes
Imagery expressing emptying or self-emptying (Greek kenosis). Often religious (Christ's emptying). Creates humility or sacrifice motifs. Related to via negativa and apophatic tradition. Theological concept in poetic use.
Also Known As
Self-emptying imagery Kenotic figure Humiliation metaphor Emptying-out image
Skip to main content