Anaphora 

Anaphora is the repetition of a phrase or clause at the beginning of a sentence or, in a poetic context, the beginning of a line. It can create a sense of rhythm or a strong sense of emotion. A song-like nature can be created with anaphora. It is a device that can emphasize a message, a moment, a memory, or an image. Anaphora can be a literary device that provides structure to an unruly or difficult topic. It can give a speaker of a poem language about a topic that might otherwise be difficult to grasp. Lastly, anaphora can become a type of litany poem.

It is considered a rhetorical device. And, like any device, infinite possibilities exist for how it can be used. You are probably familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King's speech, "I Have a Dream." Do you know it contains an anaphora? Multiple times throughout the speech, he begins his sentences with: "I have a dream that." You can check out a transcript of his speech here and note how he uses anaphora. 

Perhaps, it's because of his use of this rhetorical device that this portion of his speech is so well known. 

Let's look at a poem that uses anaphora.

the woman whose head is on fire

By Judy Grahn

the woman whose head is on fire

the woman with a noisy voice

the woman with too many fingers

the woman. who never smiled once in her life

the woman with a boney body

the woman with moles all over her

the woman who cut off her breast

the woman with a large bobbing head

the woman with one glass eye

the woman with broad shoulders

the woman with callused elbows

the woman with a sunken chest

the woman who is part giraffe

the woman with five gold teeth

the woman who looks straight ahead

the woman with enormous knees

the woman who can lick own her clitoris

the woman who screams on the trumpet

the woman whose toes grow together

the woman who says I am what I am

the woman with rice under skin

the woman who owns a machete

the woman who plants potatoes

the woman who murders the kangaroo

the woman who stuffs clothing into a sack

the woman who makes a great racket

the woman who fixes machines

the women whose chin is sticking out

the woman who says I will be

the woman who carries laundry on her head

the woman who is part horse

the woman who asks to many questions

the woman who cut somebody's throat 

the woman who gathers peaches

the woman who carries jars on her head

the woman who howls

the woman whose nose is broken

the woman who constructs buildings

the woman who has fits on the floor

the woman who makes rain happen

the woman who refuses to menstruate

the woman who sets broken bones

the women who sleeps out on the street 

the woman who plays the drums

the woman who is part grasshopper

the woman who herds cattle

the woman whose will is unbending 

the woman who hates kittens

the woman who escaped from the jailhouse

the woman who is walking across the desert

the woman who buries the dead 

** What do you notice about the poem? Did you notice the two places where Grahn deviates from "the woman?" What lines surprised you? 

Listen to an audio recording of the poem. 

Prompt

Create an anaphora of your choice. 

Write an eight-stanza poem using your anaphora for each line. 

Try to include some surprises in your poem.