While reading, you might see some phrases or words repeated to emphasize specific ideas. This sort of repetition is called anaphora, and it’s a very powerful tool in creative writing. Anaphora is different from normal repetition because the repetition appears at the beginning of successive clauses (groups of words containing both a subject and a verb).
How can you use anaphora examples to better understand this device? This guide will help you figure it out, and teach you where to best use anaphora in your own writing.
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Where Are Anaphora Examples Commonly Used?
Anaphora Examples in Literature
Classic literature often uses anaphora for dramatic effect and to establish a rhythm. For example, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” from Charles Dickens uses anaphora to call attention to contradicting nature of the times he’s writing about.
Modern writers also use anaphora, with writers such as Alexandra Teague and Kathryn Stockett serving as particularly good examples.
Anaphora Examples in Speeches and Rhetoric
Anaphora can be a very powerful tool for speeches and persuasive writing. Emphasizing important points or themes in your speech can not only your stance clearer, but also show passion and emotion to add, making you more persuasive in the process. For example, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech constantly uses the titular phrase to express hope for a better future for African-American people.
You can also see similar examples in other persuasive essays and blogs which help drive home a point to the audience.
Anaphora Examples in Media and Pop Culture
Anaphora is very common in songs, as it’s very easy to keep a rhythm using repeated groups of words in a similar structure. One example of this is during the song Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House, where part of the chorus “hey now, hey now” is used to enforce the rest of the lyrics.
30+ Powerful Anaphora Examples
Literary Anaphora Examples
| Anaphora | Source |
| “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” | A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens |
| “Nevermore, Nevermore” | Raven by Edgar Allan Poe |
| “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.” | Still I rise by Maya Angelou |
| “How wild. How vermin, how refugee.” | The Rough Beast Receives an Invitation from America by Alexandra Teague |
| “Doubt thou the stars are fire; / Doubt that the sun doth move; / Doubt truth to be a liar; / But never doubt I love.” | Hamlet By Shakespeare |
| “Some feel rain. Some feel the beetle startle” | Some Feel Rain by Joanna Klink |
| “Hey now, hey now” | Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House |
| “I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins” | The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes |
| “Ain’t no mountain high enough, Ain’t no valley low enough, Ain’t no river wide enough, To keep me from getting to you, baby” | Ain’t No Mountain High Enough By Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell |
| “Not the room. Not beginning. Not the crowd. Now winning” | Not By Big Thief |
Rhetorical and Speech Anaphora Examples
| Anaphora | Source |
| “I have a dream…” | Martin Luther King Jr. |
| “We shall fight on the beaches… we shall fight on the landing grounds…” | Winston Churchill |
| “We will rise from the golden hills of the West. We will rise from the windswept Northeast…” | Amanda Gorman |
| “We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground” | Abraham Lincon |
| “What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred.” | John F. Kennedy |
| “We came, we saw, we conquered.” | Julius Caesar |
| “Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning;” | Elie Wiesel |
| “I warn you not to be ordinary, I warn you not to be young, I warn you not to fall ill, I warn you not to get old.” | Neil Kinnock |
| “We have a new vaccine, we have new resolve and we have new tactics.” | Bruce Aylward |
Everyday or Creative Anaphora Examples
| Anaphora |
| “Every day, every night, in every way, I am improving.” |
| “We will win, we will overcome, we will succeed.” |
| “I am strong; I am capable; I am worthy.” |
| “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” |
| “Hurt people, hurt people” |
| “Monkey see, monkey do” |
| “You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.” |
| “Love conquers all. Love unites all. Love endures all.” |
| “Time heals. Time teaches. Time reveals.” |
How to Practice Using Anaphora Examples Correctly
Reading literature or listening to speeches which contain examples of anaphora will help you understand better how to use it and the effect it has on writing. If you are looking at speeches, you can also do something similar to using subtitles in movies, and read along as you listen to observe the way anaphora adds rhythm and emphasis. You can also try writing out short paragraphs to practice using anaphora yourself and see how your work compares to contemporary sentences.
Situations Where You Would Use Anaphora Examples
Appropriate Uses of Anaphora
- Speeches, essays, and persuasive writing: Using anaphora in persuasive speeches and essays can help put emphasis on certain points and convince people of your message.
- Poetry and creative writing: It is very easy to maintain a rhythm using anaphora. Furthermore, understanding how to create emphasis in creative writing can greatly help you write more emotional scenes.
- Songwriting and performance writing: Similarly to poetry, anaphora helps make a song catchy.
Inappropriate Uses of Anaphora
- Academic or technical writing requiring precision: Since anaphora is a creative writing technique, it will look unprofessional if you use it in academic writing.
- Business reports or professional documents: Business reports need clarity and precision, so using anaphora here might cause some confusion.
- Casual conversations where repetition may sound unnatural: Repetition can easily sound unnatural in casual conversations, making it hard to use in this context.
Conclusion
To recap, anaphora is a stylistic way to bring emphasis and evoke emotion in your work. It’s applied everywhere in English and can improve your writing in the right context.
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