Epiphora,
as
opposed to anaphora, is the repetition of the same word or phrase at
the end of successive clauses, sentences and stanzas.
e.g.
She
gave me an impression of extraordinary tightness.
Her plain face with its narrow lips was tight,
her skin was stretched tightly
over her bones, her smile was tight,
her hair was tight,
her clothes were tight,
and the white shawl she wore had all the effect of black bombazine.
Epiphora
(эпифора) . . . a, . . . a, . . . a, —
the end of successive sentences (clauses) is repeated.
The
main stylistic function is to add stress to the final words of the
sentence. (V.A.K.)
I
wake up and I’m
alone
and I walk round Warley and I’m
alone;
and I talk with people and I’m
alone and
I look at his face when I’m home and it’s dead. (J.Braine)
Framing
Framing
(рамка,
кольцевой повтор)
a . . . a — the beginning of the sentence is repeated in the end,
thus forming the «frame» for the non-repeated part of the
sentence (utterance).
The
stylistic function is to elucidate the notion mentioned in the
beginning of the sentence, to concretise and to specify its
semantics. (V.A.K.)
Obviously
— this is a streptococcal infection. Obviously.
(W.Deeping)
Then
there
was
something between them. There
was. There was.
(T.Dreiser)
The
initial elements are repeated at the end of an utterance or a
paragraph.
e.g.
You’ve
made a nice mess, you
have.
The
day
had
fairly begun
to
break. Many of the lamps were already extinguished; a Jew country
wagons were slowly toiling on, towards London; now and then, a stage
coach covered with mud, rattled briskly by… The public houses were
already open… The
busy morning
of the half of the London population had
begun.
Anadiplosis/Catch repetition
Anadiplosis
(анадиплозис,
подхват, эпаналепсис, стык)
. . . a, a . . . — the end of one clause (sentence) is repeated in
the beginning of the following one.
The
stylistic function is to elucidate the notion, to concretise and to
specify its semantics on a more modest level. (V.A.K.)
Now
he
understood.
He
understood
many things. One can be a
person first.
A
man first and
then a black man or a white man. (P.Abrahams)
And
a great desire for peace,
peace
of no matter what kind, swept through her. (A.Bennet)
So
long as men can breathe or eyes can see
So
long lives this
and this
gives life to thee. (W.Shakespeare — XVIII)
It
is a repetition of the word or group of words that end one clause (or
sentence) at the beginning of the next one.
e.g.
She
was ever so beautiful,
more beautiful
than «D «,
or
«Mademoiselle», or «Auntie» June or even «Auntie
Folly”, to whom he had taken a fancy.
Chain Repetition
Chain
repetition
. . . a, a . . . b, b. . . several successive repetitions The effect
is that of the smoothly developing logical reasoning. (V.A.K.) «To
think better of it,» returned the gallant Blandois, «would
be to slight a lady, to slight a lady would be to be deficient in
chivalry towards the sex, and chivalry towards the sex is a part of
my character.» (Ch.Dickens) Failure meant poverty, poverty meant
squalor, squalor led, in the final stages, to the smells and
stagnation of B. Inn Alley. (D. du Maurier)
It
is the succession of several anadiploses.
e.g.
Rapidly
the feeling became a strong hunch,
the hunch
became a
conviction,
and the conviction
became a compulsion. He absolutely had to get home.
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Definition of Epiphora
Epiphora is a form of repetition in which a word or words is repeated at the end of successive clauses or sentences. The definition of epiphora is the same as that of epistrophe, and also one of the two definitions of antistrophe. Furthermore, the definition of epiphora is opposite that of anaphora, which is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. When epiphora and anaphora are used together (i.e., words are repeated at the beginning of successive phrases and different words are repeated at the end of the same phrases), the literary device is called symploce.
The word epiphora comes from the Greek word epiphorá, which means “a bringing upon,” from the words epi-, meaning “upon” and pherein, meaning “to bear or carry.”
Common Examples of Epiphora
There are many famous speeches and song lyrics which contain examples of epiphora. Here are just a few:
Our brothers and sisters in Asia, who were colonized by the Europeans, our brothers and sisters in Africa, who were colonized by the Europeans, and in Latin America, the peasants, who were colonized by the Europeans, have been involved in a struggle since 1945 to get the colonialists, or the colonizing powers, the Europeans, off their land, out of their country.
- —Malcolm X, “The Black Revolution,” June 1963
The United States, as the world knows, will never start a war. We do not want a war. We do not now expect a war.
- —John F. Kennedy, “The Strategy for Peace,” June 1963
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
- —Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” August 1963
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.
[…]
To the stolen generations, I say the following: as Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the parliament of Australia, I am sorry.
- —Kevin Rudd, “Indigenous Australian Stolen Generation,” February 2008
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah, let it be
Oh, there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
- —The Beatles, “Let it Be”
The singer Beyoncé also has a lighter example of epiphora in her hit, “Single Ladies”:
‘Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
‘Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it
Significance of Epiphora in Literature
As is clear from the epiphora examples contained in famous speeches, the word that a speaker or writer chooses to repeat is often the theme of the speech, or related to it. This is true of Kennedy’s repetition of the word “war,” King’s repetition of the word “together,” and Rudd’s repetition of the phrase “I am sorry.” Epiphora is a particularly striking form of repetition because the repeated word or phrase starts to sound like a refrain or central image around which everything else circles.
Examples of Epiphora in Literature
Example #1
BASSANIO: Sweet Portia,
If you did know to whom I gave the ring,
If you did know for whom I gave the ring,
And would conceive for what I gave the ring,
And how unwillingly I left the ring
When naught would be accepted but the ring,
You would abate the strength of your displeasure.PORTIA: If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,
Or your own honor to contain the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
(The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)
In William Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, the character of Portia gives her fiancé Bassanio a ring, saying that it represents all that she is and all that she has, which are now the property of Bassanio. However, Portia later dresses up as a male lawyer to save the life of Bassanio’s best friend Antonio and requests the ring as payment. Bassanio gives it to her in the guise of the lawyer, and later Portia criticizes how flippantly he parted with it. Indeed, it was all a test on her part and Bassanio failed miserably. Their exchange, excerpted above, centers around the ring, which is highlight by the epiphora of the word “ring” at the end of each line.
Example #2
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.
(“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe)
Edgar Allen Poe used many different types of repetition in his poetry, all with different effects. In his poem “Annabel Lee” we find a few examples of epiphora, such as in the stanza above. Poe highlights the connection between the youth of the narrator and his young bride both by the use of italics (relatively rare in poetry), as well as the repetition of the word “child” at the end of successive clauses. Poe also uses epiphora to describe their love in the line “But we loved with a love that was more than love.” There are other instances of epiphora in this poem in which the repeated word comes at the end of successive lines, but note that in this example the epiphora occurs in the same line.
Example #3
I have heard what the talkers were talking, the talk of the
beginning and the end,
But I do not talk of the beginning or the end.There was never any more inception than there is now,
Nor any more youth or age than there is now,
And will never be any more perfection than there is now,
Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now.
(“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman)
Walt Whitman uses many forms of repetition in his poem “Song of Myself.” In the stanzas excerpted we find two specific epiphora examples. First is the repetition of the phrase “talk of the beginning and the end,” which notably ends two successive lines. Then comes the stanza where each of four lines ends with “than there is now.” In a poem that glorifies the speaker’s body and life and world around him, this is an excellent example of the way that he sees the present moment: perfect in itself.
Test Your Knowledge of Epiphora
1. Which of the following statements is the correct epiphora definition?
A. A form of repetition in which a word or words is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses.
B. A type of repetition in which a word is repeated in the middle of successive phrases.
C. A style of repetition in which a word or words is repeated at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
| Answer to Question #1 | Show |
|---|---|
2. Which of the following words is a synonym for epiphora?
A. Anaphora
B. Epistrophe
C. Symploce
| Answer to Question #2 | Show |
|---|---|
3. Which of the following stanzas from Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” contains an example of epiphora?
A.
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
B.
I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
C.
Have you reckon’d a thousand acres much? have you reckon’d
the earth much?
Have you practis’d so long to learn to read?
Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems?
| Answer to Question #3 | Show |
|---|---|
Definition of epistrophe: An epistrophe is a phrase that is repeated at the end of several successive sentences.
What does epistrophe mean? Epistrophe is a rhetorical device where the repetition of a word appears at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
Writers use this rhetorical technique of repeating a word or phrase in order to place emphasis on the repeated phrase.
Example of an Epistrophe:
- I can’t believe I was robbed. Everything is gone. My television and electronics are gone. The money I left on my nightstand is gone. Never in my wildest dreams would I expect this to happen to me.
In the above example, the writer has chosen to repeat the word gone at the end of several successive sentences in order to emphasis the loss he’s experiencing after a robbery.
Epistrophe vs. Anaphora
While both epistrophe and anaphora utilize repetition in order create an emphasis on a word or phrase, the placement of these words differ.
- Epistrophe is the repetition of words at the end of sentences.
- Anaphora is the repetition of words at the beginning of sentences.
Here is an example of a famous anaphora found in Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities:
- “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of reason, it was the age of foolishness…”
The Purpose of Epistrophe
The purpose of an epistrophe is to draw attention to an important word or phrase. This can allow the reader to make a note of importance regarding the subject in the repetition.
In order to use this rhetorical technique effectively, be sure you decide carefully what you are repeating in order to be sure it is something you would like the reader or listener to have his attention drawn.
Also, as with all rhetorical devices, the key in their effectiveness is limited use. If you overuse a technique, it may lose its effect entirely.
Examples of Epistrophe in Literature
Here are some famous examples of epistrophes:
In Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” he uses epistrophe when he repeats the phrase “the people” in order to draw attention to the importance of democracy:
- “A government of the people, by the people, for the people…”
In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream,” he repeats “together” in order to emphasize desegregation and unity:
- “With this faith we will be able to work together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”
Summary
Define epistrophe: To re-cap, epistrophe is the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive sentences.
Epistrophe can be a great rhetorical technique to emphasize an idea through your writing.
Here is one final example from Nelson Mandela’s speech “Glory and Hope.” In this example, Madela repeated the phrase for all in order to emphasize rights for all of mankind.
- “Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water, and salt for all.”
Contents
- 1 What is Epistrophe?
- 2 Epistrophe vs. Anaphora
- 3 The Purpose of Epistrophe
- 4 Examples of Epistrophe in Literature
- 5 Summary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the rhetorical terminology. For the genus of hoverflies, see Epistrophe (fly).
Epistrophe (Greek: ἐπιστροφή, «return») is the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences.[1] It is also known as epiphora and occasionally as antistrophe. It is a figure of speech and the counterpart of anaphora. It is an extremely emphatic device because of the emphasis placed on the last word in a phrase or sentence.
Platonic epistrophe[edit]
Greek epistrophe: «a word coined by Plato as a goal of philosophical education and the term adopted by early Christians for conversion».[2]
Examples[edit]
- «Where affections bear rule, their reason is subdued, honesty is subdued, good will is subdued, and all things else that withstand evil, for ever are subdued.» — Thomas Wilson
- «… this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.» — Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address
- «When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.» — The Apostle Paul, in the Bible, 1 Cor 13:11 (King James Translation)
- «There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.» Lyndon B. Johnson in «We Shall Overcome»
- «What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us.» — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- «Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you. …
Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Ceres’ blessing so is on you.»
— Shakespeare, The Tempest (4.1.108–109; 116–17)
- It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land. Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can.
In the beginning of this quotation by Barack Obama epistrophe is evoked, while the latter part makes use of anaphora.[3]
See also[edit]
- Anaphora
- Antimetabole
- Anthimeria
- Figure of speech
- Epistrophy (composition), a jazz standard composed by Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke in 1941
References[edit]
- ^ George Roberts (schoolmaster.) (1820). A catechism of rhetoric. p. 55. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ Peters, Gerald (1993). The Mutilating God: Authorship and Authority in the Narrative of Conversion. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780870238918.
- ^ Thompson, Derek (2017-02-07). Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction. Penguin. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-101-98034-7.
External links[edit]
- Audio illustrations of epistrophe
- The Hermeneutics of the Subject: Lectures at the Collège de France 1981–1982
- Ziolkowski, Eric J. (1994). «The Mutilating God: Authorship and Authority in the Narrative of Conversion (review)». Philosophy and Literature. 18 (2): 413–415. doi:10.1353/phl.1994.0036. S2CID 144711945. Project MUSE 416206.
Definition of Epistrophe
Epistrophe is derived from a Greek word that means “turning upon,” which indicates the same word returns at the end of each sentence. Epistrophe is a stylistic device that can be defined as the repetition of phrases or words at the ends of the clauses or sentences. It is also called “epiphora.” Epistrophe examples are frequently found in literary pieces, in persuasive writing, and in speeches.
The Difference Between Anaphora and Epistrophe
Anaphora is the opposite of epistrophe, and means the repetition of the same phrase or word at the beginning of successive sentences, such as in this example:
Five years have passed;
Five summers, with the length of
Five long winters! and again I hear these waters …
However, in epistrophe, the repetition of phrases or words is at the end of successive sentences such as in this example:
“Hourly joys be still upon you! Juno sings her blessings on you …
Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Ceres’ blessing so is on you.”
Examples of Epistrophe in Literature
Poets have written a number of poems in regular meters, and epistropheic meter is widely used in several of them.
Example #1: The Rebel (By D. J. Enright)
“When everybody has short hair,
The rebel lets his hair grow long.
When everybody has long hair,
The rebel cuts his hair short.
When everybody talks during the lesson,
The rebel does’n say a word.
When nobody talks during the lesson
The rebel does’n say a word.
When nobody talks during the lesson,
The rebel creates a disturbance.
When everybody wears a uniform,
The rebel dresses in fantastic clothes.
When everybody wears fantastic clothes
The rebel dresses soberly.
In the company of dog lovers,
The rebel expresses a preference for cats.
In the company of cat lovers,
The rebel puts in a good word for dogs.
When everybody is praising the sun,
The rebel remarks on the need for rain.
When everybody is greeting the rain,
The rebel regrets the absence of sun.
When everybody goes to the meeting
The rebel stays at home and reads a book.
When everybody stays at home and reads a book,
The rebel goes to the meeting.
When everybody says, yes please!
The rebel says, No thank you.
When everybody says: No thank you,
The rebel says, yes please!
It is very good that we have rebels
You may not find it very good to be one.”
Here the phrases are repeated in consecutive lines throughout the poem.
Example #2: The Unnamable (By Samuel Beckett)
“Where Now? Who Now? When Now?”
Examples of epistrophe abound in Beckett’s works. In this excerpt, the word “now” is repeated three times to place emphasis, as well as making the line memorable. It also creates cadence and rhythm.
Example #3: Julius Caesar (By William Shakespeare)
BRUTUS:
“Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended …”
Again, Shakespeare is at his best in using this stylistic device. The repeated phrase at the ends of sentences is “for him have I offended.” It appears three time in this excerpt. This shows the importance of the phrase.
Example #4: The Grapes of Wrath (By John Steinbeck)
“Then I’ll be all aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be ever’where – wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there … An’ when our folk eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build – why, I’ll be there …”
In the following excerpt, Steinbeck has employed the phrase “I’ll be there” again and again as epistrophe. The phrase is creating a sense of connection and familiarity, and focuses the attention of readers on these words.
Example #5: Flood: A Romance of Our Time (By Robert Penn Warren)
“The big sycamore by the creek was gone. The willow tangle was gone. The little enclave of untrodden bluegrass was gone. The clump of dogwood on the little rise across the creek — now that, too, was gone …”
In this novel, the phrase “was gone” is used as an epistrophe. These words act as common threads throughout the paragraph. It is also giving a regular rhyme and rhythm to the text.
Function of Epistrophe
The rhetorical function of this stylistic device is to give a striking emphasis to an idea, a thought, or a passage. The repetition helps in making the words memorable and pleasurable, due to the regular rhyme scheme. Also, it furnishes artistic effect, both in prose and in poetry. In addition, it lends rhythm to the text, and appeals to the emotions of readers.