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Weather vane

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 symbolic device likening verse to a vane turning with wind direction.

Detailed Definition
Weather vane in poetry refers to a shifting speaker, tone, or perspective that pivots in response to changing emotional or thematic “winds”; this device signals adaptability or instability, often used to dramatize internal conflict or the poet’s responsiveness to external forces.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The wind shifts—now north, now south— / and I, a leaf, follow its mouth” (poem using weather vane as metaphor for indecision); “Like a weather vane, my heart turns / with every rumor of love” (symbolizing emotional responsiveness); “Rust on the vane, but still it points / where the storm will break” (image of resilience); “Weather vane creaks in the gale— / truth spins with the wind” (epigram on relativism)
Additional Notes
Weather vane: In a metaphorical sense, a poem or poetic device that subtly signals a shift in the mood, subject, or emotional landscape of a longer work; a device whose symbolic direction changes with the thematic 'wind'.
Also Known As
Weather vane image Wind vane Directional symbol Anemotrope Weathervane
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