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trajectory figure

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 figure of speech comparing a theme’s movement to a physical or metaphorical trajectory.

Detailed Definition
A trajectory figure is a rhetorical or imagistic pattern that enacts movement—physical, emotional, or conceptual—through directional language, spatial metaphors, or kinetic verbs; it propels the poem forward, as in arrows, rivers, or falling bodies that mirror the speaker’s psychological or narrative arc toward insight or collapse.
Example
Example in poetry:
“From acorn to oak, from child to sage” — life arc as trajectory; “The arrow leaves the bow — finds its mark in time” — linear poetic path; “Seeds scatter on wind — become forests in dreams” — generative trajectory; “A spark leaps — becomes wildfire of memory” — exponential growth metaphor
Additional Notes
trajectory figure|A figure of speech or a structural device that sets a course or direction for the poem's thematic or emotional development, often introduced early in the poem to determine the narrative or argumentative path.
Also Known As
Trajectory path Flight figure Poetic arc Ballistic metaphor
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