Home › Glossary › Letter T

Turmoil

Psychology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 state of violent agitation, emotional upheaval, or chaotic confusion; in poetry, turmoil captures internal or external disorder, reflecting psychological conflict, societal unrest, or tempestuous passions.

Detailed Definition
Turmoil in poetry churns through tumultuous rhythm, clashing images, and disordered syntax. It reflects war, heartbreak, or identity crisis. Poets use turmoil to externalize inner conflict, as in Romantic storm scenes or modernist fragmentation. Turmoil invites readers into chaos, often seeking resolution or acceptance of disorder. It makes the poem a battleground, where passion and reason collide, and from which new clarity may emerge.
Example
Example in poetry:
Turmoil in Sylvia Plath's confessional poetry where turmoil is a theme; In T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," turmoil is a theme; In William Wordsworth's "The Prelude," turmoil is a subject; In contemporary poetry, turmoil reflects inner conflict; In dramatic monologues, turmoil is often a turning point; In confessional poetry, turmoil is expressed.
Additional Notes
Turmoil in poetry churns through tumultuous rhythm, clashing images, and disordered syntax, reflecting war, heartbreak, or identity crisis. In teaching, distinguish turmoil from confusion: turmoil is violent agitation, while confusion is disordered thinking. Poets use turmoil to externalize inner conflict, making poems battlegrounds. It invites readers into chaos, seeking resolution or acceptance. Students should examine how poets use fragmented syntax, conflicting imagery, and turbulent rhythm to convey turmoil's chaotic, intensity-driven upheaval.
Also Known As
Chaos upheaval confusion disorder agitation pother Stour strife
Skip to main content