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Selective erasure

Device
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 technique erasing selected words from an existing text to reveal a new, often subversive or minimalist, poetic message.

Detailed Definition
The technique of deliberately removing specific words or passages from existing text to reveal new poetic meaning, emphasizing editorial creativity and strategic choice. Success depends on thoughtful selection of both source material and which elements to eliminate, discovering meaningful patterns in remaining text. This subtractive creative process celebrates the art of editing and selection over original composition.
Example
Example in poetry:
Selective erasure appears in M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!”, erasing legal text to reveal enslaved voices; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Declaration,” erasing the U.S. Declaration of Independence; In Tom Phillips’ “A Humument,” erasing Victorian novel into poetry; In contemporary poet Jen Bervin’s “Nets,” erasing Shakespeare’s sonnets; In Solmaz Sharif’s “Look,” redacting military dictionary entries.
Additional Notes
Creative technique emphasizing selection and editing over original composition. The challenge lies in finding meaningful patterns in existing text. Success depends on thoughtful choice of source material.
Also Known As
Strategic deletion Purposeful erasure Chosen removal Selective redaction Erasure poem
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