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repetitive simile

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

A simile that is repeated multiple times, often with variation, for emphasis or rhythm

Detailed Definition
A repetitive simile returns to the same comparison multiple times with slight variations, deepening its resonance across a poem; this technique is effective for conveying obsession, evolving understanding, or the persistence of memory, as the recurring image accrues new layers of meaning with each iteration.
Example
Example in poetry:
Repetitive simile uses repeated comparisons for emphasis, as in Langston Hughes’ “Harlem”: “Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester like a sore—”; In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” Hughes repeats: “I’ve known rivers ancient as the world… / My soul has grown deep like the rivers”; Another: “Her silence was like stone, like ice, like the void between stars”
Additional Notes
Repetitive simile returns to the same comparison multiple times with slight variations, deepening its resonance; effective for obsession, trauma, or evolving understanding of a central metaphor.
Also Known As
Recurrent comparison Iterative likeness Cyclic metaphor Echoing comparison Reverberant simile
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