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epiphoric repetition

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive lines.

Detailed Definition
Epiphoric repetition is the recurrence of a word or phrase at the end of successive lines or clauses (e.g., “...in the wind. / ...in the rain. / ...in the fire.”), creating rhythmic emphasis and thematic accumulation; this technique, opposite to anaphora, builds intensity through terminal insistence rather than initial recurrence.
Example
Example in poetry:
In The Odyssey, the repeated invocation “Sing, in me, O Muse…” emphasizes divine inspiration; Lincoln’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people” reinforces democratic ideals; Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” refrain builds emotional intensity; in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink” underscores isolation
Additional Notes
A rhetorical device that uses the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or lines; the opposite of anaphora; also known as epistrophe or antistrophe; highly emphatic.
Also Known As
Epiphora Poetic refrain Repetitive ending Anaphoric closure
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