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Resentment

Psychology
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 deep-seated feeling of bitter indignation arising from a sense of injustice, insult, or unmet expectations, often influencing poetic tone.

Detailed Definition
Resentment simmers over time. Poets depict it through acidic tone, accumulated grievances, or veiled sarcasm, showing how it poisons relationships and distorts self-perception.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” resentment erupts toward the father figure; In Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” resentment simmers beneath courtly language; In W.B. Yeats’ “Leda and the Swan,” resentment inheres in violent transformation; In Langston Hughes’ “Harlem,” resentment threatens in “Or does it explode?”; In Adrienne Rich’s “Diving into the Wreck,” resentment confronts patriarchal myths; In Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City,” resentment echoes in survival amid chaos.
Additional Notes
Resentment—bitter indignation—often simmers beneath surface calm (Rich, Plath); differs from anger by its chronic quality; poetic techniques include irony, understatement, or accusatory tone; students should analyze power dynamics: Is resentment justified?; note its link to injustice—resentment as moral injury.
Also Known As
Bitterness Ill will Grudge Animosity gall umbrage spleen Ressentiment Envy Indignation
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