Home › Glossary › Letter Y

Yielding turn

Device
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 pivot in a poem that conveys concession, softening, or emotional surrender rather than resistance

Detailed Definition
A Yielding turn is a pivot in a poem where the speaker concedes, surrenders, or opens emotionally—often marked by words like “yet,” “still,” or “but”—without defiance or argument; distinct from the logical volta of traditional sonnets, it emphasizes vulnerability, compassion, or awe; found in poems of reconciliation, grief, or wonder (e.g., Lucille Clifton’s “won’t you celebrate with me”), it models an alternative to conflict-driven narrative arcs by centering humility and relational awareness.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “One Art,” Elizabeth Bishop yields: “—Even losing you… I shan’t have lied. It’s evident”; Robert Frost’s “Directive” turns with yielding: “Drink and be whole again beyond confusion”; Tracy K. Smith’s “The United States Welcomes You” shifts from fear to empathy: “We mean to be good neighbors”; Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” surrenders: “Ocean, don’t be afraid”; Lucille Clifton’s “won’t you celebrate with me” concedes: “come celebrate with me that everyday / something has tried to kill me”; Ada Limón’s “The Leash” yields from isolation to connection: “we are all walking the same dog”
Additional Notes
A Yielding turn is a pivot in a poem where the speaker concedes, surrenders, or opens emotionally—often marked by words like “but,” “yet,” or “still,” yet without defiance; unlike the argumentative volta of sonnets, it emphasizes vulnerability over logic; found in poems of apology, reconciliation, or awe (e.g., “I thought I knew… but the river taught me otherwise”); students should distinguish it from defeat—it’s an active softening; useful in teaching emotional intelligence in poetry and alternatives to conflict-driven narrative arcs.
Also Known As
Soft volta surrendering pivot compassionate turn empathetic shift granting turn
Skip to main content