Epistrophe is a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences. It is also known as epiphora or antistrophe.
Epistrophe is often used to create a powerful rhetorical effect by emphasizing a particular word or phrase or to build up a sense of momentum and urgency in a speech or written work. It is commonly used in political speeches, sermons, and poetry.
Examples of epistrophe include:
“We will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the landing grounds, we will fight in the fields and in the streets, we will fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” – Winston Churchill, speech to the House of Commons, 1940.
“Where now? Who now? When now?” – Samuel Beckett, The Unnamable.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” – Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address.
“The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. The time to build is upon us.” – Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address, 1994.
