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Anaphora is one of the most commonly used rhetorical device. It is a type of repetition where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of a phrase, sentences, stanza, or a paragraph. It is also known as Repetitio.
Pronunciation Guide
Anaphora-- Ana (as in analyse) -- pho (as in phone) -- ra (as in Dora)
Let us consider the poem "Your Space" by David Bates as an example.
Example:
Speak gently! – It is better far
To rule by love, than fear
Speak gently – let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here!
To rule by love, than fear
Speak gently – let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here!
Speak gently! – Love doth whisper low
The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently Friendship’s accents flow;
Affection’s voice is kind.
The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently Friendship’s accents flow;
Affection’s voice is kind.
Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild:-
It may not long remain.
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild:-
It may not long remain.
Speak gently to the young, for they
Will have enough to bear –
Pass through this life as best they may,
‘T is full of anxious care!
Will have enough to bear –
Pass through this life as best they may,
‘T is full of anxious care!
Speak gently to the aged one,
Grieve not the care-worn heart;
The sands of life are nearly run,
Let such in peace depart!
Speak gently, kindly, to the poor;
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word!
Let no harsh tone be heard;
They have enough they must endure,
Without an unkind word!
Speak gently to the erring – know,
They may have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again!
They may have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
Oh, win them back again!
Speak gently! – He who gave his life
To bend man’s stubborn will,
When elements were in fierce strife,
Said to them, ‘Peace, be still.’
To bend man’s stubborn will,
When elements were in fierce strife,
Said to them, ‘Peace, be still.’
Speak gently! – ’tis a little thing
Dropped in the heart’s deep well;
The good, the joy, which it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.
Dropped in the heart’s deep well;
The good, the joy, which it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.
The above poem is an example of anaphora because the phrase "speak gently" gets repeated at the beginning of each stanza.
The following example is an extract from a popular speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. The speech is known as "I have a Dream". It got its name from the anaphora "I have a dream". Interestingly, the popularity of speech can also be because of the repetition of the phrase.
Example:
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
Example of anaphora from the poem "The River":
River, river, little river!
Bright you sparkle on your way;
O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
River, river! swelling river!
On you rush through rough and smooth;
Louder, faster, brawling, leaping,
Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping
Like impetuous youth.
River, river! brimming river!
Broad and deep, and still as time;
Seeming still, yet still in motion,
Tending onward to the ocean,
Just like mortal prime.
River, river! headlong river!
Down you dash into the sea, _
Sea that line hath never sounded,
Sea that sail hath never rounded,
Like eternity.
Bright you sparkle on your way;
O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
River, river! swelling river!
On you rush through rough and smooth;
Louder, faster, brawling, leaping,
Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping
Like impetuous youth.
River, river! brimming river!
Broad and deep, and still as time;
Seeming still, yet still in motion,
Tending onward to the ocean,
Just like mortal prime.
River, river! headlong river!
Down you dash into the sea, _
Sea that line hath never sounded,
Sea that sail hath never rounded,
Like eternity.
Reference:
- State Council of Educational Research and Training (2019). Term-1 English Standard-6. The Crocodile - Lewis Carroll (pp. 99-100). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
- State Council of Educational Research and Training (2019). Term-1 English Standard-7. Your Space by David Bates (pp. 70-72). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
- State Council of Educational Research and Training (2019). English Standard-9. The River- C.A. Bowles (pp. 141-145). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
- https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/i-have-a-dream-speech
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