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Parable poem

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 poetic narrative written in the style of a moral teaching parable

Detailed Definition
A parable poem uses a brief, allegorical narrative—often featuring symbolic characters or events—to convey a moral, spiritual, or philosophical lesson; it relies on simplicity, concrete imagery, and open-endedness to invite reader interpretation, akin to biblical or Aesopian storytelling in verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Parable poem: George Herbert’s “The Collar” dramatizes spiritual rebellion and surrender as parable; R.S. Thomas’s “The Bright Field” compares life to fleeting divine glimpse; contemporary poet Li-Young Lee’s “The Cleaving” uses butchery as parable for love; parable poems teach moral or spiritual lessons through narrative; they often feature symbolic characters and sudden revelation; rooted in biblical and didactic traditions.
Additional Notes
Narrative poem illustrating moral or spiritual lesson through story. Distinct from fable by avoiding talking animals. Biblical parables provide models. Balance didactic purpose with engaging narrative and vivid imagery.
Also Known As
Moral tale poem Story-lesson verse Teaching narrative Allegorical poem
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