What is Epistrophe?
1. A genus of hoverflies (OK, maybe that’s not exactly what we’re studying)…
Or…
2. A style tool; The counterpart of anaphora.
Definition
the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences. Epistrophe is an extremely emphatic device, because it puts the emphasis on the last word in a phrase or sentence.
Examples
Many of the most famous examples of this are political, because of the fact that it is a great way to get a point across through repetition. Commonly, Epistrophe is done in threes or fours, as seen in the examples, so that there’s enough repititon to really make it stick but not too much to make it redundant and boring (remember, too much of any style tool is never a good thing!). Here are some famous examples of Epistrophe:
... this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government ofthe people, bythe people, forthe people, shall not perish from the earth.—Abraham Lincolnin theGettysburg Address
"There is no Negroproblem. There is no Southernproblem. There is no Northernproblem. There is only an Americanproblem."Lyndon B. Johnsonin "We Shall Overcome"
When I wasa child, I spokeas a child, I understoodas a child, I thoughtas a child.—The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:11
Where affections bear rule, there reasonis subdued, honestyis subdued, good willis subdued, and all things else that withstand evil, foreverare subdued.—Thomas Wilson
Your Turn
Try your hand at using epistrophe. I’m going to pass around a container that has slips of paper in it; each piece of paper has a word on it. Use this word to create your own example of epistrophe—once you’ve finished them, choose the best from your group to share their example.