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Matter

Philosophy
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

Matter is the physical substance that constitutes the universe. It is the material stuff from which all objects are made, often contrasted with mind or form.

Detailed Definition
In materialism, matter is the only reality. In poetry, it appears in a focus on the physical, sensory world—the texture of things. Poets celebrate the materiality of objects and the body, grounding abstract ideas in concrete images. This emphasis can counter spiritualism, valuing the tangible and immediate. Poetry becomes a way to honor the material world, its beauty, decay, and ultimate reality.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem by Walt Whitman that catalogues the physical objects of America is a celebration of matter; The material, sensory world is the central subject of many poems by William Carlos Williams, who insisted "no ideas but in things"; A poem that describes a decaying urban landscape, such as parts of "The Waste Land," focuses on the matter of the modern world; The physical texture of objects is a primary concern of the Objectivist poets, like Charles Reznikoff, who value the simple fact of matter.
Additional Notes
Matter is the physical substance of the universe, the material stuff that makes up all objects and bodies. In philosophical terms, it is often contrasted with mind or form. Materialism holds that matter is the only reality, and that all phenomena, including consciousness, are products of material processes. In poetry, a focus on matter means a celebration of the physical, sensory world—the texture, weight, and color of things. A poet like William Carlos Williams, who insisted "no ideas but in things," is a champion of matter. This emphasis grounds poetry in the tangible and immediate, often serving as a counterpoint to spiritualism or abstract idealism. For poets, a materialist approach encourages a reverence for the physical world and a precise, concrete use of language.
Also Known As
Physical substance Materiality Corporeality material
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