This week: Anaphora: The Power of Emphasis Edited by: Jayngle Bells  
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| Hello, I'm Jayne! Welcome to my poetic explorations. My goal with these newsletters is to take us on a journey through the forms, devices, and concepts that make poetry so powerful. Sometimes, a series of newsletters will interconnect, while other issues will stand alone. I strive to ensure they are informative but fun and do my best to spark your curiosity. Don’t forget to check out this issue's curated selection of poetry! |
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If someone repeatedly used the same phrase to start their sentences during a casual conversation, there is a high chance you’d question their current state of being and a moderate chance you’d ask them to knock it off. But if you do the same thing in a poem, you’re using a poetic tool called Anaphora.
What Is Anaphora?
Anaphora is a poetic device where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive lines. It creates a solid and steady rhythm and builds momentum, emphasizing the repeated phrase and reinforcing its importance in the poem. It enhances the poem's cadence and, when done well, generates an emotional response in your readers.
Why Use Anaphora?
If you want to avoid annoying your reader with your musings, it’s important to understand that anaphora is more than just repetition. It's a strategic choice that can give your poetry a sense of urgency, unity, and power. By repeating key phrases, you can highlight themes, create a musical cadence, or draw attention to specific ideas. It can also unify competing ideas and give your poetry a sense of cohesion.
As powerful as anaphora is, using it incorrectly can quickly turn your reader off. If you've ever spent any time around a toddler who's just learned a new word or two, you might be able to understand how repetition can quickly go awry. As cute as the little ones are, hearing the same few phrases over and over can quickly become grating. This is why knowing not only what to emphasize, but when to emphasize it is so critical to successful poetry.
How to Use Anaphora in Your Poetry
Whether you want to create a steady rhythm, emphasize a central theme, or evoke a particular emotion, anaphora is a great way to add depth to your poetry. Here are some practical ways to make anaphora work for you:
1. Choose Your Repeated Phrase Carefully: You may be tired of hearing this warning, but it the key to successful anaphora. The phrase you repeat should be central to your poem's theme and emotional core. Most importantly, it should be capable of bearing the weight of repetition. Your reader will appreciate if your chosen word(s) are the foundation of your message but might not be thrilled with a throwaway phrase that adds little value. They may be downright annoyed if it smacks of padding word/line count. Worse, it may come off as uninspired writing (the horror!).
The use of anaphora in Walt Whitman’s "Song of Myself" contributes to a sense of flow and continuity, mirroring the poem’s themes of unity and the interconnectedness of all things. The steady rhythm created by the repeated "I", "The", and "You" reflects the poet's meditative state and the expansive, inclusive vision he presents.
“If We Must Die" by Claude McKay only use the key phrase twice, but the repeat builds a powerful emotional and thematic resonance. When a specific theme or emotion is central to your poem, repeating a phrase can hammer it home, making it impossible for the reader to miss.
2. Create a Steady Rhythm and Build Momentum: Repeating a word or phrase can create a relentless, driving rhythm. Consider how the repetition might push your poem forward, adding urgency or intensity to your lines. Each repetition should add something to deepen the reader’s understanding of your message.
Allen Ginsberg uses anaphora to create a relentless, driving rhythm throughout "Howl." For example, the repetition of "who" at contributes to the poem’s breathless pace and intensifies the emotional impact of the struggles and alienation described.
3. Vary Your Lines and Consider the Sound: While the repeated phrase should remain the same, the following lines can vary to explore different facets of the theme or emotion you’re expressing. This variation keeps the poem dynamic while maintaining the structural unity anaphora provides.
As you vary those lines, pay attention to how the poem sounds and how your phrase interacts with the rest of the poem's rhythm. Anaphora often works best when the repeated phrase has a pleasing or powerful sound, but that doesn’t mean it’s always in your face.
T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” offers some anaphora nuance by repeating words in a subtler format. By doing so, he creates a cyclical rhythm that mirrors the poem’s theme. Good examples are his use “I will show” and “Your shadow.”
And, yes, you’re probably sick of Eliot as an example. I didn’t include Frost in this issue. You’re welcome. 
Try Adding Emphasis and Rhythm to Your Poetry!
The next time you’re crafting a poem, consider how anaphora might help you underscore your theme, unify your imagery, or elevate your emotional expression. Since it’s so versatile and offers an outsized impact, carefully select your phrase and use it to build momentum. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll create poems that resonate more frequently with your readers. So, maybe you have an existing piece in your port, or perhaps you’re giving it a go for the first time. In either case, share your work on the newsfeed! Don’t forget to tag me with {user:jayne}! I don’t want to miss it!
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|  | Harmony (E)
Invisibly, the rhythms of nature guide our day. (Form: Rhyme using Anaphora)
#1572655 by 🌖 HuntersMoon  |
Anaphora as part of form poetry:
An example of texture from "A Crash Course in Poetry Texture"
Did you know that if you use the keyword section to include additional genres, types of poetic devices used, poetry form, and other highlights (like "Christmas" or "snow" or "polar bear"), I'd be better able to find it and feature it? You never know what newsletter topic I'll chose! This is true for all the newsletter editors, by the way.
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Poetry: September 11, 2024 Issue [#12708]
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