Rhetoric & FiguresFoundational
Anaphora
Repetition at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses.
Principle
Initial repetition builds rhythm, emphasis, and expectation.
Takeaways
- It can create momentum, ceremony, insistence, or argument.
- Variation after the repeated opening keeps it alive.
- Overuse turns emphasis into monotony.
Overview
Anaphora is the repeated beginning of successive units. It is one of the most visible ways prose and poetry turn repetition into pattern.
Examples
- We waited for rain. We waited for news. We waited for the door.
- I remember the road, I remember the smoke, I remember nothing after.