Anaphora is a rhetorical term for therepetitionof a word or phrase at the beginning of successiveclauses. By building toward aclimax, anaphora can create a strong emotional effect. Consequently, thisfigure of speechis often found inpolemical writingsand passionate oratory, perhaps most famously in ...
Using both anaphora and epistrophe at once creates a third figure of speech called symploce. This proverb provides an example of symploce in action: For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a ...
"In contemporary linguistics [anaphora] is commonly used to refer to a relation between two linguistic elements, wherein the interpretation of one (called ananaphor) is in some way determined by the interpretation of the other (called an antecedent). Linguistic elements that can be employed as a...
This opening sentence from Charles Dickens’sA Tale of Two Citiesis one of the most famous examples of anaphora in literature. In this case, the repetition of the phrase “it was” provides several examples of contrast. The sentence creates wonder in the reader to find out how these are bot...
Other Types of Repetition (1) Anaphora It rainedon his lousy tombstone, andit rainedon the grass on his stomach.It rainedall over the place. (2) Epiphora She's safe,just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington,just like she promised. And you get to die for her,just like...
3. Anaphora Anaphora is the act of beginning a series of successive sentences or clauses (sentence fragments) with the same phrase. It’s an older literary device that many writers instinctively still use today, knowing that it lends a unique emphasis and rhythm even if they don’t know the...
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unrelated things, usually by stating that one thing is another (e.g., “you are an angel”).
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that places two contradictory, incongruous, or conflicting words next to each other in a sentence to create a nuanced concept (e.g., civil war, detailed summary). The two examples above are oxymorons because, at their very core, the words contradict themse...
Anaphora:the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines, usually in succession. Epistrophe: the repetition of the same word, or a phrase, at the end of multiple clauses or sentences. Repetition: an important literary technique that sees a writer reuse words or phrases...
Poe is another famous example of a poet who frequently made use of syncope. His haunting works are often very clearly structured. The meter is usually sustained throughout, as are the rhymes and any other structural patterns such as refrains and examples of anaphora or epistrophe. Therefore, ...