Anaphora
Figures of speechRepetition of the same word or phrase at the start of successive sentences or lines, creating a hammering effect.
Example
"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields…"
Anaphora repeats the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive sentences, clauses or lines. The repetition sets a scanning, almost incantatory rhythm that imprints the idea by hammering — it is the queen figure of political speech and oratory poetry.
In narrative prose it is rarer and therefore more marked: an anaphora in the middle of a sober chapter signals an emotional summit, a moment when the voice rises. Its power comes from the expectation it creates: by the second occurrence, the reader awaits the third. Breaking it at the right moment — with a twist, a variation — is often stronger than extending it.
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