It's Just a Figure of Speech!

Last Month we did Synecdoche, Irony and Anthropomorphism

This and the last Month – Anaphora, Apostrophe and Chiasmus

Anaphora – this one was new to me.  But when I found the examples I realised that it a major device used by orators.  The emphasis comes from the repetition of a word or phrase.

We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.

Apostrophe – not the punctuation mark!  Who knew it is also a figure of speech – not me that's for sure.  As you can see from the examples it is where you are addressing an inanimate object or idea as a person.

 

Chiasmus – this also involves some repetition but in the reverse order.