anaphora
When the same word or phrase is used at the beginning of a series of sentences, that's anaphora. Used to show emphasis in speech or writing, anaphora is a popular tool for politicians, religious leaders, lyricists, and poets.
In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speech, he said "I have a dream" eight different times. He used anaphora as a rhetorical technique, repeating the words to drive home a point. As a literary device, anaphora also gives emphasis and rhythm to lines like these of Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," with the repetition of "it was" eight more times in one sentence. In Greek, anaphora means "a carrying back."
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repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clausessynonyms: epanaphoratype of:repetitionthe repeated use of the same word or word pattern as a rhetorical device
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using a pronoun or similar word instead of repeating a word used earliertype of:repetitionthe repeated use of the same word or word pattern as a rhetorical device
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Vocabulary lists containing anaphora
From alliteration to zeugma, this list covers the literary devices you need to know in order to understand and analyze poetry. To learn even more about poetry, explore our lists on Genre and Structure and Meter.
You'll be able to express yourself with style once you learn these rhetorical devices and tropes. This vocabulary list covers a wide range of techniques used in formal speech and writing, from alliteration to zeugma.
