Student Question
Can you provide an example of epistrophe?
Quick answer:
An example of epistrophe is the repetition of “the people” in Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address where he urges support for a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” A literary device where the same word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive clauses or sentences to emphasize meaning and emotion, epistrophe is found in everyday language, political speeches, songs, the Bible, literature, and more.
An epistrophe (or epiphora or antistrophe) is a literary device where a writer or speaker repeats the same word or phrases at the end of consecutive clauses or sentences. The writer or speaker uses this technique in order to emphasize the repeated phrase and create a steady rhythm that strongly stresses and communicates meaning. Also, epistrophe can effectively demonstrate the writer or speaker’s mood.
Examples of epistrophe can be found in everyday speech, political speeches, the Bible, literature, and more. In everyday speech, a person may use an epistrophe to express exasperation. For example, a neglected friend might tell a friend who is ignoring him,
There’s nothing to worry about. I am just fine. Everything is just fine. The world is just fine.
He actually does not sound “fine,” but irritated, hurt, and/or sarcastic. An epistrophe can also be celebratory. Suppose that one year, a film won many Academy Awards;...
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entertainment newscasters can later exclaim,
The Oscar for Best Screenplay went to Film X! And the Oscar for Best Director went to Film X! And the Oscar for Best Picture went to Film X!
An epistrophe can be employed in political speeches in order to implore listeners to action. While campaigning for president, for example, John F. Kennedy stated,
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.
He emphasized that as president, he would bring only “the best” to the American public, which requires, expects, and should have only the highest standard. Therefore, people should vote for him and elect him president, because he can achieve such greatness for America.
The epistrophe is a literary device that often appears in the Bible. In the King James Version, 1 Corinthians 13:11 states,
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
The repetition of “child” emphasizes that people are children, unformed and unlearned until maturation. In the eyes of God, people are like babies and will not truly mature until their own eyes are opened.
Finally, writers frequently use epistrophe in literature. In Shakespeare’s TheMerchant of Venice, act 5, scene 1, Portia tells Bassanio
If you had known the virtue of the ring,
Or half her worthiness that gave the ring,
Or your own honour to contain the ring,
You would not then have parted with the ring.
She emphasizes how much he hurt and devalued her by punctuating her speech with repetition of the symbol of their union, the ring. Portia tells him that if he had only realized the depth of purity, her honor, and his honor as represented by the ring, he would not have given it away.
Poets, playwrights, politicians, and anyone can use epistrophe. It is a simple yet powerful method of accentuating meaning and emotion through repetition in sound and rhythm at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
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