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Self-emptying

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

Theological or poetic motif of voluntary relinquishment of power, status, or self for redemptive purpose

Detailed Definition
Self-emptying is a spiritual and poetic motif derived from kenosis, depicting voluntary relinquishment of ego, desire, or identity to achieve humility, clarity, or union with the divine; expressed through images of pouring out, dissolving, or becoming void, it frames emptiness not as loss but as receptive space for grace or transformation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Christ “emptied himself” in Philippians 2:7; In Herbert’s “The Collar,” the speaker surrenders will; Rilke’s angel embodies divine self-limitation; In “The Waste Land,” the Fisher King’s barrenness reflects spiritual emptiness
Additional Notes
Self-emptying (kenosis) is voluntary relinquishment of power or self; theological in origin but used secularly; appears in devotional and modernist poetry; emphasize choice and purpose to avoid passivity
Also Known As
Kenosis self-effacement voluntary emptiness spiritual abnegation
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