Repeating the same word or phrase at the start of consecutive sentences or clauses to build rhythm and emphasis.
Anaphora is a rhetorical device where you deliberately repeat the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines. It creates a rhythmic pulse that builds emotional intensity, reinforces an idea, or gives prose a poetic, incantatory quality. It's one of the oldest persuasive tools in language, used everywhere from political speeches to literary fiction.
Anaphora gives your prose momentum. When you repeat a phrase, each repetition lands harder than the last, creating a cumulative effect that's almost musical. It's particularly powerful in emotionally charged passages where you want the reader to feel the weight of what you're saying, not just understand it.
The phrase "I have a dream" repeats eight times in the final section, each repetition expanding the vision until it feels inevitable and unstoppable.
The opening paragraph is built almost entirely on anaphora - "it was the..." repeated in contrasting pairs, setting up the novel's theme of duality.
Morrison uses anaphora throughout, particularly in the late chapters where "I am Beloved and she is mine" creates a haunting, possessive rhythm.
Repetition without escalation just feels repetitive. Each clause should add something new - a detail, an intensification, a shift. The repetition is the vehicle, not the destination.
Three to five repetitions usually hits the sweet spot. More than that and you risk losing the reader's patience unless you're deliberately building to a climactic moment.
Starting multiple sentences with the same word by accident (especially "She" or "He" or "I") isn't anaphora - it's just monotonous sentence structure. Anaphora only works when it's intentional and purposeful.
Write a paragraph of five to seven sentences about a place that matters to your character, starting each sentence with the same phrase (try "I remember" or "This is where" or "Every morning"). Let each sentence add a new specific detail. Then read it aloud and listen to the rhythm you've built.