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Pointing composition

Concept
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

Poetry that directs attention toward a specific idea, object, or emotion

Detailed Definition
Pointing composition directs the reader’s attention through deictic language (“here,” “now,” “this”) or imperative address, creating immediacy and shared presence; this technique collapses distance between speaker and audience, grounding abstract themes in the tangible moment of utterance.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Look here—this scar tells a tale”; “See how the river bends? That’s where we began”; “Notice the empty chair—she never came back”; “Watch the clock—time’s running out, no turning back”
Additional Notes
Pointing composition directs attention through deixis (“this,” “here,” “now”) or imperative address—creates immediacy and situates reader in the poem’s moment.
Also Known As
Indexical composition directional verse gestural poetry pointing lyric Indexical verse Pointing poem Referential lyric
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