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Kierkegaard

Historical Figure
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

Danish philosopher who emphasized individual subjectivity, faith as a leap, and the anxiety of freedom.

Detailed Definition
Kierkegaard’s existential dread and the “leap of faith” deeply influenced modern poetry of inner turmoil, religious doubt, and the solitary struggle for meaning beyond reason, making him a voice for the anxious, believing self.
Example
Example in poetry:
Kierkegaard, existentialist, emphasizes individual choice: "Kierkegaard said truth is subjectivity—passion, not system, defines belief"; A personal poem: "I leap into faith, said Kierkegaard, absurdly, like Abraham raising the knife"; A modern take: "In crowd-sourced opinions, Kierkegaard shouts: be thou thyself!"; A reflection: "Despair is not knowing you are a self—Kierkegaard’s diagnosis of modern sickness"
Additional Notes
Kierkegaard emphasized individual subjectivity, faith as a leap, and the anxiety of freedom; his existentialism deeply shaped 20th-century poetry, from Rilke’s Duino Elegies to Sylvia Plath’s confessional verse, where the poet’s inner turmoil, not societal norms, becomes the authentic subject, and poetry a solitary act of existential courage.
Also Known As
Søren Kierkegaard
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