Repetition / Polysyndeton
Definition
Repetition (rep-i-tish-uhn) - a technique in
which a sound, word, phrase, or line is
repeated for effect or emphasis.
Polysyndeton (pol-ee-sin-di-ton) - the
repetition of conjunctions in close succession
for rhetorical effect.
Examples of Repetition
“The Bells” - Edgar Allan Poe
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells
Of the bells
Of the bells, bells, bells,bells,
Bells, bells, bells
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!
In Poe's poem the repetition is used to show the significance of the bells. The
repetition of the word bells may symbolize the repetitive ringing of an actual bell.
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
I looked upon the rotting sea,
And drew my eyes away;
I looked upon the rotting deck,
And there the dead men lay.
The repetition in this poem helps maintain the rhythm and structure of the work.
The similarities of the lines' diction and syllables provide a constant flow to the
poem.
Examples of Repetition
“Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” - Robert Frost
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Here, repetition is used to emphasize the great distance the speaker must
transverse before reaching his destination or goal. It shows that he is
dedicated to finish what set out to do before resting.
Examples of Polysyndeton
Isaiah 24:1-2
Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it
upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as
with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with
the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the
lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury
to him.
The conjunctions in this passage connect many diverse and opposite things to
show that we are all equal in the land that God has made for us. We all live in the
same world even though our ranks may be different.
Ulysses – James Joyce
I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he
asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my
arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all
perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.
The author chose to connect these actions in order to prove his point. The word
yes is repeated multiple times to show how much the speaker is agreeing with the
other person.
Examples of Polysyndeton
Akallabêth – J. R. R. Tolkien
Then suddenly fire burst from the Meneltarma, and there came a mighty wind and
a tumult of the earth, and the sky reeled, and the hills slid, and Númenor went
down into the sea, with all its children and its wives and its maidens and its ladies
proud; and all its gardens and its halls and its towers, its tombs and its riches, and
its jewels and its webs and its things painted and carven, and its laughter and its
mirth and its music, its wisdom and its lore; they vanished forever.
The way that this passage is written shows the power and diversity of
nature. It also shows the beauty that can be appreciated when looking at
nature.