Figures of Speech [Schemes] Sam Tigner, Zoey Lande, Danielle Butler, Kathryn Loper, and Peter Stehm

Figures of Speech: Also called schemes depend upon a change in the standard order or usual syntax of words to create special effects.

Apostrophe ●Apostrophe: an address to a dead or absent person or to an inanimate object or abstract concept ○aim is not to evoke a response but to elevate the style/give emotional intensity to the address. ○special form is an invocation where the poet addresses an appeal to a muse/god to inspire the creative endeavor ●ex. in Wordsworth sonnet “London, 1802” begins with an apostrophe to the narrator’s long-dead predecessor John Milton: “Milton! thou shoudst be living at this hour…”

Rhetorical Question A figure of speech in which a question is posed not to solicit a reply but to emphasize a forgone or clearly implied conclusion. Example: ‘Are you Crazy?’ o This question is meant to imply that the person being addressed is behaving irrationally.

Anaphora Anaphora is the intentional repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines, stanzas, sentences, or paragraphs. ○It is used frequently in both poetry and prose to create emphasis ○It occurs often in both the Old and New Testaments. ○For example, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,/ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5.7-8)

Antithesis A figure of speech in which words or phrases that are parallel in order and syntax express opposite or contrasting meanings o (the greek word for opposition) For example, an antithesis can be exemplified through the following quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Chiasmus Chiasmus: a figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax, but reverse the order of the analogous words. ○aim is often to make a connection, or a contradiction to while evoking emotion within the piece. ○typical form is a chiastic line, where the author utilizes Chiasmus ●ex. in Lord Byron’s Don Juan “Pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin’s a pleasure.”