Anaphora — Definition, Purpose, and Examples

Written by

Daniel Bal

February 13, 2024

Edited by

Courtney Adamo

Fact-checked by

Paul Mazzola

What is anaphora?

Anaphora is a rhetorical device that is the repetition of a word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences.

While anaphora typically includes the repetition of the same word or words, they can still contain a slight variation:

Although Blake’s use of repetition contains variations (placing "infant" before cry and then removing "cry" completely), it is still anaphoric.

Purpose of anaphora

Writers use anaphora for emphasis, to create rhythm, and compare/contrast.

• Emphasis: The repetition draws attention to the repeated words, suggesting that the information is particularly important. Using anaphora to emphasize information is especially useful in speeches where audience members cannot view the text.

• Rhythm: Developing a rhythmic pattern allows writers and speakers to make the information more memorable. By creating a certain rhythm, writers and speakers can stress the accumulation of emotions or provide a pleasant cadence that makes the structure of the written or spoken word more enjoyable.

• Compare/Contrast: Writers may employ anaphora to compare or contrast ideas more directly. The repetition connects the ideas, providing a more direct way to compare and/or contrast the presented information.

Regardless of the specific purpose, anaphora enhances the message by delivering it in a way that can persuade, motivate, or inspire an audience.

Anaphora examples

Anaphora plays a major role in various areas of language, including songs and speeches:

Television/Movies

• Homer Simpson in The Simpsons: "I want to shake off the dust of this one-horse town. I want to explore the world. I want to watch TV in a different time zone. I want to visit strange, exotic malls. I’m sick of eating hoagies! I want a grinder, a sub, a foot-long hero! I want to LIVE, Marge!

• Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

Songs

• "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash: "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine / I keep my eyes wide open all the time / I keep the ends out for the tie that binds / Because you’re mine, I walk the line."

• "Every Breath You Take" by The Police: "Every breath you take / Every move you make / Every bond you break / Every step you take / I’ll be watching you."

• "All You Need Is Love" by The Beatles: "There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done / Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung / Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game / It’s easy."

Speeches

• "I Have a Dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania."

• "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" by Winston Churchill: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

• "The Perils of Indifference" by Elie Wiesel: "Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor–never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten.”

Anaphora in poetry

Poets are known for incorporating anaphora in their works, with some of the most famous examples including the following:

• "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou: "You may shoot me with your words, / You may cut me with your eyes, / You may kill me with your hatefulness, / But still, like air, I’ll rise."

• "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks: We real cool. We / Left school. We / Lurk late. We / Strike straight. We Sing sin…"

• "Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost: "I have been one acquainted with the night. / I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. / I have outwalked the furthest city light. / I have looked down the saddest city lane. / I have passed by the watchman on his beat…"

Anaphora examples in literature

Although anaphora tends to be more prevalent in speeches and poetry, the following include examples of anaphora authors have used in literature:

• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: "The apartment was on the top floor — a small living-room, a small dining-room, a small bedroom, and a bath."

• Richard III by William Shakespeare: "O, cursèd be the hand that made these holes; / Cursèd the heart that had the heart to do it; / Cursèd the blood that let this blood from hence."

Anaphora vs. epistrophe

Both anaphora and epistrophe (also called epiphora) involve the repetition of words; however, anaphora occurs at the beginning of a set of clauses, phrases, or sentences, while epistrophe occurs at the end.

• Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "And that government of the people, for the people, and by the people shall not perish from the Earth."

When use of anaphora and epistrophe are combined, it creates a literary device called symploce.