Anaphora has a few different meanings, but as
a rhetoric term, it means repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses,
clauses, or
sentences. It’s from the Greek, meaning “
to bring back”
or “
to carry
back”
By using this rhetorical device,
1. The speaker’s words will have rhythm and
cadence.
2. Key words or ideas will be emphasized, often with great
emotional pull
3. Repetition will make the line memorable.
This
rhetorical device is used a lot in various speeches and I will give three
examples of it.
Examples
“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 today.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington,
D.C., 28 August 1963
“As you know, we’ve got the iPod, best
music player in the world. We’ve got the iPod Nanos, brand new models, colors
are back. We’ve got the amazing new iPod Shuffle.”
— Steve Jobs,
Macworld 2007 Keynote Address
“
We shall fight in France, we shall fight
on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing
strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. 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 …”
— Winston Churchill, House of Commons,
London, England, 4 June 1940