SHILL Issue 107

WITH SENTIENTSHAPES
Ahh, lovely to have you here again my friend. This week we are going deeper into
the murky mire of literary device. We will be talking about a repetitive device
known as Anaphora. You have seen this device used in not only poems but wellknown
speeches and even some of your favorite musicians will use this device in
their songs. Anaphora is the repetition of a phrase at the beginning of each line in
a poem. As often is the case this literary device can be used in discretion or not
and completely up to the writer. With poetry we have a lot of freedom that
traditional prose writers cannot take because of the stringent use of grammar.
Anaphora is a particularly poetic device that can portray myriad emotions and
emphasize a quandary of elements in your poems that you want the reader to
understand. This is an upfront and in-your-face approach depending on how you
use structure within your poem. Will you use stanzas or will you dedicate the
entire piece to the use of Anaphora or will you choose to only use it in the last
stanza…etc. Do you see how many choices can and will depend on the writer’s
artistic cadence? As we practice the use of Anaphora we are unknowingly (or
knowingly now!) developing a unique artistic cadence that will be solely ours. It’s
the soul and passion that’s distinctly portrayed in your work that makes the reader
keep reading. Your unique perspective and voice as a writer is begging to be let
out on the page!
How will you use Anaphora to your benefit?
How will you use your unique approach to convey a message behind your work?
How will you use your practice of writing to develop artistic integrity and remain
genuine to your true self?
Ok..I’ll stop using Anaphora to drill you with questions to awaken your whimsy!
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