Anaphora (rhetoric)

For other uses, see Anaphora.

The second stanza of William Blake's London represents an example of anaphora. This image is a digital reproduction of his hand-painted 1826 print from Copy AA of Songs of Innocence and Experience. The item is currently in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.[1]

In rhetoric, an anaphora (Greek: ἀναφορά, "carrying back") is a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis.[2] In contrast, an epistrophe (or epiphora) is repeating words at the clauses' ends. The combination of anaphora and epistrophe results in symploce.

  1. ^ Morris Eaves; Robert N. Essick; Joseph Viscomi (eds.). "Songs of Innocence and of Experience, object 46 (Bentley 46, Erdman 46, Keynes 46)". London: William Blake Archive. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  2. ^ Xiuguo Zhang (2005). English Rhetoric. 清华大学出版社有限公司. p. 121. ISBN 978-7-81082-377-7. Retrieved 24 September 2013.