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Moral exemplar

Genre
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 narrative poem presenting a character or event as a model of virtuous conduct for ethical instruction.

Detailed Definition
Moral exemplar is a character, historical figure, or symbolic persona in poetry held up as a model of virtue, vice, or ethical choice to instruct or provoke reflection; drawn from scripture, myth, or history (e.g., Job, Lucretia), the exemplar functions as a didactic anchor in allegorical or narrative verse, inviting readers to measure their own conduct against an idealized or cautionary standard.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress” (in verse adaptations) presents Christian as moral exemplar; Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” uses Death as moral exemplar of civility; Contemporary poet Lucille Clifton’s “won’t you celebrate with me” presents self as moral exemplar of survival; Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods” uses speaker as moral exemplar of duty; W.H. Auden’s “In Memory of W.B. Yeats” presents poet as moral exemplar; Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” uses self as moral exemplar of self-love.
Additional Notes
Moral exemplar presents a character or story embodying ethical ideals. Related to teaching story and instructive pair. Avoid idealization—complexity arises when exemplars struggle, fail, or face ambiguous choices.
Also Known As
Virtuous model Moral parable Righteous exemplar Exemplum
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