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Mocking shift

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 sudden shift in tone, diction, or perspective within a poem that undercuts prior statements or expectations to convey satire, scorn, or ridicule.

Detailed Definition
A mocking shift occurs when a poem abruptly changes tone from earnestness to satire or ridicule, exposing hypocrisy or folly by contrasting sincere-seeming setup with a derisive or undercutting conclusion.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “Dulce et Decorum Est,” the shift from gas attack description to “My friend” creates mocking contrast with Horace’s ideal; In Pope’s “Epistle to Bathurst,” the shift from praising wealth to exposing greed mocks economic morality; In Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the shift to “I am not Prince Hamlet” mocks self-importance; In Larkin’s “This Be The Verse,” the shift to “Man hands on misery” mocks familial piety.
Additional Notes
A mocking shift introduces ridicule through a sudden change in tone or focus; frequently targets social norms, authority, or romantic ideals; common in Augustan and modern satire.
Also Known As
Derisive turn Scornful pivot Ridiculing transition Ironizing volta
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