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Mortality

Life And Death
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

The condition of being subject to death. It is a central concern of poems about human limits.

Detailed Definition
Mortality names the unavoidable fact that living beings die. In poetry, awareness of mortality can produce dread, humility, urgency, gratitude, or a desire for lasting fame. Poets may contrast the vulnerable body with enduring art, seasonal cycles, religious promises, or indifferent nature. The term is especially important in meditative verse, where a speaker considers aging, illness, bereavement, or the passing of time. It gives life-and-death poetry its tension between temporary existence and the wish to endure.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 explores mortality through images of autumn, twilight, and a dying fire; Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night” confronts mortality by urging resistance to death’s approach; Philip Larkin’s “Aubade” presents mortality as an inescapable source of fear in ordinary waking life; A poet could use a child outgrowing shoes to symbolize mortality, showing how every stage of growth also carries time forward
Additional Notes
Mortality contrasts with immortality and emphasizes life's limits. Poets may respond with fear, acceptance, spiritual hope, or urgency to live fully.
Other Meanings of “Mortality”
Also Known As
Human Mortality
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