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secondhand persona

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

A poetic persona adopted from another voice—historical, fictional, or archetypal—rather than the poet’s authentic self.

Detailed Definition
A secondhand persona is a speaker in a poem who adopts the voice, identity, or perspective of a historical, literary, or mythological figure rather than expressing an original or autobiographical self; this technique allows poets to explore complex themes through mediated subjectivity, as seen in dramatic monologues by Browning or Eliot’s use of Tiresias.
Example
Example in poetry:
In dramatic monologues like Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” the speaker adopts a secondhand persona; Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” uses a theatrical, borrowed identity (“I am your opus”); Ai’s persona poems, such as “The Kid,” speak through invented criminal voices; Secondhand persona appears in Robert Hayden’s “Runagate Runagate,” voicing Harriet Tubman
Additional Notes
secondhand persona: A poetic voice or mask (persona) adopted by the poet that is not their own but is derived from a well-known historical figure, character, or established trope; allows for critical commentary or exploration of a predefined context.
Also Known As
Borrowed persona secondhand mask adopted voice Borrowed voice
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