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Self-praising verse

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

Poetry in which the speaker boasts of personal achievements, skills, or virtues, often in a traditional or ceremonial context

Detailed Definition
Self-praising verse (encomium) celebrates the speaker’s virtues, achievements, or lineage, often to assert cultural identity, challenge erasure, or reclaim dignity; while ancient epics used it heroically, contemporary poets employ it strategically in marginalized voices to counter dominant narratives and affirm self-worth.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ancient Egyptian “Tale of Sinuhe” boasting of royal favor; Boast poems in Old English like “The Wanderer” asserting past glory; Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman” celebrating self-worth; Hip-hop influenced verse: “I wrote the book on fire”
Additional Notes
Self-praising verse (encomium) celebrates the speaker’s virtues, often ironically or as cultural assertion; common in ancient epics and contemporary identity poetry.
Also Known As
boast poem self-eulogy encomiastic verse personal panegyric Brag poem vaunt verse
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