Untitled Flashcards Set

Rhetorical Devices: Repetition 2025

1. Alliteration

Definition: This rhetorical device references the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of successive words

Example: Ronald Reagan’s Address at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial (1988)

Our liberties, our values — all for which America stands — is safe today because brave men and women have been ready to face the fire at freedom's front. And we thank God for them.

Analysis: Reagan acknowledges that the veterans of the Vietnam War were prepared to “face the fire at freedom’s front.” Through his use of alliteration, Reagan emphasizes the soldiers’ willingness to sacrifice themselves for freedom, focusing the audience’s attention on the value of the veterans’ deeds.

2. Anaphora

Definition: This rhetorical device references repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines

Example: “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)

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 today.

Analysis: King repeats the phrase, “I have a dream” to emphasize his vision for racial equality in the United States. By employing anaphora to underscore his beliefs, King connects his ideas with a common motif, helping his audience follow his speech and make it more memorable. King thus invites his audience to share in his “dream,” as he reminds them that it is their dreams for a more equal future that unite their movement.

3. Assonance

Definition: the repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds

Example: William Shakespeare “Sonnet 1” 

”His tender heir might bear his memory.”

Analysis: In this famous poem, Shakespeare is saying that a man's young child, or "heir," would carry on his legacy and remembrance by inheriting his physical beauty and characteristics, essentially ensuring that his good looks and essence would live on even after he dies; it's a plea for the young man to procreate so his beauty doesn't fade with him. The assonance here creates euphony, soothing, pleasant sounds of language about a difficult topic--death. 

*Note: assonance is often associated with euphony: soothing and pleasant sounds.

4. Anadiplosis

Definition: takes the last word of a sentence or phrase and repeats it near the beginning of the next sentence or phrase.

Example: Plato (ancient Greek philosopher) 

“In education we find the measure of our own ignorance; in ignorance we find the beginning of wisdom.” 

Analysis: The repetition of the word “ignorance” at the end of a statement about education and at the beginning of a statement about wisdom highlights the paradoxical idea that only through education do we understand how ignorant we are, and only by understanding our ignorance can we become wiser. This anadiplosis reflects Plato's philosophical view that the pursuit of knowledge begins with recognizing one's own limitations and acknowledging what one does not know, which is considered a crucial step towards true wisdom. 

5. Chiasmus

Definition: repetition of ideas in inverted order

Example: John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address (1971)

The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.

Analysis: In his 1971 Inaugural Address, Kennedy encourages his audience to have faith in their generation and in their country in the midst of a trying Cold War. Kennedy attempts to unite the audience under a national identity and purpose, inviting them to consider not what their “country can do for” them, but what they “can do for” their country. By employing chiasmus, Kennedy highlights the difference between an archaic mentality and the attitude that he wants the country to adopt moving forward. Because Kennedy repeats the same simple ideas, he also creates a memorable phrase that allows his message to spread easily among the American people.

6. Conduplicatio

Definition: Takes an important word from anywhere in one sentence or phrase and repeats that word at the beginning of the next sentence or phrase. 

Example: 

This law destroys the fruits of thirty years of struggle, bringing us back to a less enlightened time. Law should be evolutionary, building up rather than tearing down.

Analysis: The repetition of the word “law” from the first sentence at the beginning of the very next sentence guides the reader from one idea to the next, specifically from the idea what this law “is” and what law “should be”. The conduplicatio highlights the irony of a law taking a society back in history rather than progressing evolutionarily into the future.  

*Note: Conduplicatio helps Line of Reasoning by  showing how one idea feeds into the next. Conduplicatio is good transitional writing!

7. Consonance

Definition: the repetition of consonant sounds, but not vowels, as in assonance

Example: ”At the edge of the bridge, I stood, refusing to budge or to even acknowledge my predicament.”

Analysis: In this sentence, the repeated “dg” sound slows the reader down. This consonance helps the reader zoom into this moment and expands the length of time the speaker is on the “bridge” reinforcing the danger and suspense of the speaker’s situation. 

*Note: consonance can be associated with cacophony, or harsh, discordant sounds, if it uses “explosive consonants” such as B, C, CH, D, G, J, K, P, Q, T, X. 

8. Epistrophe

Definition: ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words

Example: John F. Kennedy  Inaugural Address January 20, 1961. 

”For no government is better than the men who compose it, and I want the best, and we need the best, and we deserve the best.”

Analysis: In his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, Kennedy made an emotional appeal to the American citizens for patriotism and support in the Cold War. His epistrophe of “the best” as he refers to what he wants for the United States and what the U.S. needs and deserves serves to create an inspirational tone encouraging a global alliance against tyranny, poverty, disease and war. 

9. Parallelism (parallel structure)

Definition: a repetition of sentences using the same grammatical structure emphasizing all aspects of the sentence equally

Example: Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu 

”Feed a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed a man for life.

Analysis: Both sentences contain a verb “Feed” or “Teach” and follow with specifics ("a fish" or "to fish") followed by "feed him for" and a time frame ("a day" or "life"). The parallel structure emphasizes the contrast between providing immediate, short-term relief and teaching a skill that allows for self-sufficiency. 

10. Polysyndeton 

Definition: The use of many conjunctions has the effect of slowing the pace or emphasizing the numerous words or clauses

Example: Greek historian Herodotus, Book 8, paragraph 98 of "The Persian Wars" 

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

Analysis: The repeated use of the conjunction "nor" to emphasize each element of the weather that the couriers face, highlights their dedication to completing their deliveries regardless of the conditions. The polysyndeton effectively conveys a powerful image of unwavering commitment and resilience in the face of difficult circumstances.