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Rhetorical lyric

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 lyric poem employing persuasive or elaborate rhetorical devices to shape emotion or thought

Detailed Definition
A rhetorical lyric blends persuasive oratory with lyrical expression, using devices like apostrophe, anaphora, and periodic sentences to argue, exhort, or move an audience emotionally; unlike purely introspective lyrics, this mode—seen in Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” or contemporary protest poetry—treats the poem as speech act, where beauty serves civic or ethical urgency.
Example
Example in poetry:
Donne’s "The Sun Rising" argues with the sun using conceit; Pope’s "An Essay on Criticism" uses verse to teach aesthetics; Auden’s "In Memory of W.B. Yeats" debates poetry’s utility; Marvell’s "To His Coy Mistress" uses logic to persuade; Herbert’s "The Collar" debates faith through dramatic monologue.
Additional Notes
A rhetorical lyric uses persuasive techniques—apostrophe, hyperbole, tricolon—to argue or move the reader emotionally (e.g., Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind”). It blends lyricism with oratory. Students should identify rhetorical strategies: how do they enhance or complicate feeling? Related to “argumentative poem.”
Also Known As
Rhetorical song Persuasive lyric Oratorical verse Argumentative stanza Persuasive poem Rhetorical verse
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