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Symbolic

Adjective
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

Describes something that represents or stands for another through symbolism.

Detailed Definition
Symbolic in poetry refers to the use of images, objects, or actions to represent abstract ideas, emotions, or spiritual concepts beyond their literal meaning; effective symbolism arises from organic integration within the poem’s context rather than arbitrary association, as in the albatross in Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” which evolves from bird to burden to emblem of guilt and redemption.
Example
Example in poetry:
Symbolic poetry uses objects to represent abstract ideas: A rose symbolizing love in Burns’ “O my Luve’s like a red, red rose”; The raven as death in Poe’s “The Raven”; The road as life’s choices in Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”; The albatross as guilt in Coleridge’s “Ancient Mariner”.
Additional Notes
Symbolic|Pertaining to the use of symbols—objects, actions, or ideas that stand for something beyond their literal selves; all poetry uses this to some degree, but Symbolist poetry makes it central.
Also Known As
Figurative Allegorical Metaphorical Emblematic Non-literal Representative
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