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Vocabulary in The City in the Sea

Vocabulary Examples in The City in the Sea:

Text of the Poem

🔒 7

"Shall do it reverence. ..."   (Text of the Poem)

The noun “reverence” means a profound respect for something or someone. Poe suggests that hell honors the city by rising up to meet it as it falls.

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"There open fanes and gaping graves..."   (Text of the Poem)

The noun “fane” is a shrine, temple, or church. In this disturbing, unnatural city, churches and graves alike “yawn level” with the waves. Everything is so terrifyingly still that one might begin to believe that there are no normal winds “upon some far-off happier sea” elsewhere.

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"pendulous..."   (Text of the Poem)

The adjective “pendulous” means hanging, or suspended, and able to swing freely. The shadows are indistinguishable from the buildings, so the entire city appears to be floating in the air without any visible support.

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"friezes..."   (Text of the Poem)

In classical architecture, a “frieze” is the middle of three sections that make up a large structure of moldings called an “entablature,” which is a large structure that sits atop columns. More broadly, however, and in this context, a frieze is an ornamental band on a building or piece of furniture, often sculpted or brought into relief.

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"turrets..."   (Text of the Poem)

A “turret” is a small tower that extends vertically at an angle of a building. Turrets once aided in military fortification, but have more recently been used for decoration.

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"the lurid sea..."   (Text of the Poem)

In this context, the adjective “lurid” contains several meanings: that the sea has a gruesome or horrific quality and/or that it has a yellow to orange—perhaps reddish and fiery—coloring. Though the city in the sea is deprived of heaven’s light from above, it is illuminated by an unnatural, horrible light from below.

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"Lo!..."   (Text of the Poem)

The exclamation “Lo!” is a call to look closely or to pay attention to the words that follow, often something the writer considers surprising or amazing. The speaker indicates that the reader should pay close attention to what is about to be described.

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