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Literature vocabulary · Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

Anaphora

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In literature, anaphora means: A rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of nearby clauses, lines, or sentences for emphasis.

In Turkish: ön yineleme

How it is used

Common in speeches, poetry, and prose analysis. It helps create rhythm, reinforce a key idea, and make repeated contrasts or appeals more memorable.

Example sentences

  1. In the seminar, the lecturer showed how the poet uses anaphora in three opening lines to turn private grief into a public appeal.

    Here, anaphora names the repeated opening wording that gives the passage persuasive force and links separate lines into one emotional movement.

  2. While editing the essay, Mira added a note explaining that the president's repeated opening phrase is anaphora, not simple redundancy.

    In this example, the term identifies a deliberate structural repetition with a rhetorical purpose, rather than an accidental repetition of words.

Common collocations

  • use anaphora
  • anaphora in a speech
  • opening anaphora
  • anaphoric repetition
  • figure of speechA use of words in a non-literal or unusual way to create a special effect or meaning, such as a metaphor, simile, hyperbole or personification.
  • poetryLiterary writing arranged in lines that uses rhythm, sound, imagery and often rhyme to express feelings and ideas in a concentrated way.

More terms: Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

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