Home › Glossary › Letter P

Pearl Harbor

Battles
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 1941 Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing America into WWII.

Detailed Definition
Pearl Harbor transformed American isolationism into total war. In poetry, it symbolizes shock, awakening, and the end of innocence—appearing in American verse as a moment of national trauma that forged unity, where “a date which will live in infamy” became the crucible of global responsibility and democratic resolve.
Example
Example in poetry:
Pearl Harbor, 1941 surprise attack, appears in American poetry as “a date which will live in infamy” transformed into verse; A modern elegy might contrast Pearl Harbor’s tranquil waters with oil-slicked wreckage; In a dramatic monologue, a sailor recalls the Arizona’s explosion at Pearl Harbor; A sonnet could frame Pearl Harbor as awakening of a sleeping giant; Contemporary poets use Pearl Harbor to reflect on memory and preparedness; A haiku might capture white terns flying over Pearl Harbor’s sunken silence.
Additional Notes
Pearl Harbor (1941) transformed American isolationism into total war engagement; in U.S. poetry, it symbolizes sudden vulnerability, national awakening, and the end of innocence—often contrasted with later Pacific victories to trace a moral and martial arc from shock to resolve.
Also Known As
Attack on Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor Raid
Skip to main content