ANTACLASIS

Antanaclasis is a rhetorical device in which a phrase or word is repeatedly used.

However, the meaning of a word changes in each case. It is the repetition of a similar
word in a sentence with different meanings, or a word is repeated in two or more than
two different senses.

Antanaclasis is a rhetorical term for a type of verbal play in which one word is used in
two contrasting (and often comic) senses—a type of homonymic pun. Also known as the
rebound.

Antanaclasis appears often in aphorisms, such as "If we don't hang together, we shall

surely hang separately."

Antanaclasis comes from Greek 'antanaklasis', meaning 'reflection' or

'echo'.
Antanaclasis is also known as Antilogy.

Classification: Repetition.

 "For every woman growing anxious about thinning hair, there are
thousands growing it back."
(advertisement for Rogaine) 

 If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with

enthusiasm."
(Vince Lombardi) 

 "Death, tho I see him not, is near

And grudges me my eightieth year.
Now I would give him all these last
For one that fifty have run past.
Ah! He strikes all things, all alike,
But bargains: those he will not strike."
(Walter Savage Landor, "Age")
 
 "And there's bars on the corners and bars on the heart."
(Tim McGraw, "Where The Green Grass Grows") 
EXAMPLES OF ANTANACLASIS FROM LITERATURE

 The Roman poet Lucretius in De rerum natura Book 3 line

365 observes that we sometimes find ourselves temporarily
blinded by bright objects because "lumina luminibus quia nobis
praepediuntur" (because our eyes are impeded by the lights),
taking advantage of the fact that in Latin the same word can
mean both "eye" and "light".
 The definition of antanaclasis was developed in the 1600s, but it had
been used as a literary device for thousands of years. The Roman
philosopher Cicero cleverly used many examples of antanaclasis in his
work De Oratore, in which he describes the ideal orator.

Viola: Save thee, friend, and thy music! Dost thou live by thy tabour?
Clown: No, sir, I live by the church.
Viola: Art thou a churchman?
Clown: No such matter, sir: I do live by the church; for I do live at my house, and my house doth stand by the church.

(Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare)

In the following example, a word “live” is repeatedly used. Voila is Cesario in disguise and conversing with Feste (Fool). In the first
sentence, it means that he makes his living by playing the drum and in the later lines it means he lives near the church.

“Death, tho I see him not, is near

And grudges me my eightieth year.
Now I would give him all these last
For one that fifty have run past.
Ah! He strikes all things, all alike,
But bargains: those he will not strike….”

(Age by Walter Savage Landor)

Landor has used in the final two lines of the poem the word “strike” that has contrasting meanings. In the first instance, it means
killing everyone and everything while in the second reference it means the opposite.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

(Stopping By Woods on Snowy Evening by Robert Frost)

Here, the poet uses Antanaclasis in the last two lines of the poem. The first use of a word, “sleep”, means nocturnal rest and in the
last line it has the meaning of death. This device is helping to draw the readers’ attention.
KingHenry: And tell the pleasant prince this mock of his
Hath turned his balls to gun-stones, and his soul
Shall stand sore chargèd for the wasteful vengeance
That shall fly with them; for many a thousand widows
Shall this his mock mock out of their dear husbands,
Mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down,
And some are yet ungotten and unborn
That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin’s scorn…

(Henry V by William Shakespeare)

Henry V, as one can see in the above excerpt, is one of Shakespeare’s works which contains examples of antanaclass. The word
“mock”,repeatedly used in this excerpt, has two meanings – “to cheat” and “to taunt”.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

(Stopping By Woods on Snowy Evening by Robert Frost)

Here, the poet uses Antanaclasis in the last two lines of the poem. The first use of a word, “sleep”, means nocturnal rest and in the
last line it has the meaning of death. This device is helping to draw the readers’ attention.

Quare non sibi eum disertum qui id non

faceret videri sed improbum, qui faceret.

(De Oratore by Cicero)

This is a short example of an antanaclasis that Cicero used in this text De Oratore. He repeats the word “faceret” in this excerpt; in
the first case the word stands in for a word that would be more common at the time, ambularet, and in the second case it means
“to furnish.” Cicero used the more unusual definition of the word first in order to create the clever wordplay.

OTHELLO: It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul,–

Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars!–
It is the cause. Yet I’ll not shed her blood;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster.
Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men.
Put out the light, and then put out the light:

(Othello by William Shakespeare)

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello is contemplating murdering his wife, Desdemona. He does not want to “shed her blood” or
“scar that whiter skin of hers” and plans to smother her in the dark. Therefore, he says he will first “put out the light,” i.e., make
sure that the room is dark, and then he will again “put out the light”—this time it’s a euphemism for killing his wife.

PISTOL: Doth Fortune play the huswife with me now?

News have I, that my Nell is dead i’ the spital
Of malady of France;
And there my rendezvous is quite cut off.
Old I do wax; and from my weary limbs
Honour is cudgelled. Well, bawd I’ll turn,
And something lean to cutpurse of quick hand.
To England will I steal, and there I’ll steal:
And patches will I get unto these cudgell’d scars,
And swear I got them in the Gallia wars.

(Henry V by William Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare uses a quick and clever antanaclasis example in the above speech by Pistol in Henry V. Pistol is planning to
leave France for England, and thus the first time he says “steal” he means to go in secret. In the repetition of “steal,” Pistol is using
the more common definition, which is to rob or thieve.
FUNCTIONS OF ANTANACLASIS
Antanaclasis helps in giving an exciting contrast of different meanings to
the same word. It enhances the dramatic and persuasive impact of a piece
of writing or speech by employing words with contrasting meanings and
therefore increases the vocabulary as well.

Antanaclasis creates comic effect when used in the form of irony and pun.
Apart from that, it makes the literary text memorable due to repetition.

It is used as a rhetorical device in poetry, prose and political speeches.

Political leaders make use of this technique in order to persuade and draw
the attention of audience.

The effect of anatanaclasis is an initial confusion as a word just used, and hence
with one meaning already in short-term memory, is repeated with a different
meaning. This causes the listener to pause and think, thus creating attention to
what is said.

CLIMAX
The climax of a story is the decisive moment when all of the conflicts are finalized. In To Kill a Mockingbird, part
of that moment is when Bob Ewell is killed by Boo Radley in defense of the Finch children's lives. This moment
clarifies how Bob Ewell's life ends and when Scout finally gets to meet and speak with Arthur Radley face to
face. Sheriff Tate announces to Atticus and the family that Bob Ewell is lying out there dead with kitchen knife in
him at the end of chapter 28. In chapter 29, a lengthy discussion is had between the sheriff and Atticus about
the proper legal procedures to follow in this case.

Atticus thinks Jem killed Mr. Ewell, but Sheriff Tate says it was Boo Radley. As a result of Tate's findings, the
Sheriff decides to report that Mr. Ewell fell on his own knife in the scuffle with the children. This way, Boo
Radley is saved from the pomp and circumstance of saving the children and he can continue with his private life
without any hype from the community. Once the decision has been made to keep Boo Radley safe from gossip,
another part of the climax is complete. Boo Radley is to remain as quiet as he was before the incident.

The final part of the climax is the fact that Scout sees and talks with Boo Radley. Ever since the first chapter the
children have wanted to see him. They tried a few tricks to get him to come out so they could see what all the
rumors were about. Scout is the lucky one because she actually gets to talk with him for awhile. She even walks
him home once the Sheriff and Atticus are done discussing the case. Scout describes her walk with Boo as
follows:

"We came to the street light on the corner, and I wondered how many times Dill had stood
there hugging the fat pole, watching, waiting, hoping. I wondered how many times Jem and I
had made this journey, but I entered the Radley front gate for the second time in my life . . . I
never saw him again" (278).

In summation, the climax deals with three parts: the end of Mr. Ewell, the emergence of Boo Radley, and
Scout's opportunity to finally meet Boo Radley. These loose ends needed to be tied up and they all came
together in one last fight over the children's lives. It's as if all of the conflicts throughout the book combine in
that one deciding moment when Boo Radley takes care of Maycomb's biggest problem--Bob Ewell. And, for all
the times Jem wanted to meet Boo Radley, it isn't he that gets the chance, even though he was carried home by
the hero, but it is Scout who gets to speak, walk, and talk with him all by herself.

Scout Finch -  The narrator and protagonist of the story. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch lives with her father, Atticus, her brother,
Jem, and their black cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb. She is intelligent and, by the standards of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout
has a combative streak and a basic faith in the goodness of the people in her community. As the novel progresses, this faith is
tested by the hatred and prejudice that emerge during Tom Robinson’s trial. Scout eventually develops a more grown-up
perspective that enables her to appreciate human goodness without ignoring human evil.

Read an in-depth analysis of Scout Finch.

Atticus Finch -  Scout and Jem’s father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. A widower with a dry sense
of humor, Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb
committed to racial equality. When he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man charged with raping a white woman, he
exposes himself and his family to the anger of the white community. With his strongly held convictions, wisdom, and empathy,
Atticus functions as the novel’s moral backbone.

Read an in-depth analysis of Atticus Finch.

Jem Finch -  Scout’s brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story. Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch is something of a
typical American boy, refusing to back down from dares and fantasizing about playing football. Four years older than Scout, he
gradually separates himself from her games, but he remains her close companion and protector throughout the novel. Jem moves
into adolescence during the story, and his ideals are shaken badly by the evil and injustice that he perceives during the trial of
Tom Robinson.

Read an in-depth analysis of Jem Finch.

Arthur “Boo” Radley -  A recluse who never sets foot outside his house, Boo dominates the imaginations of Jem, Scout, and
Dill. He is a powerful symbol of goodness swathed in an initial shroud of creepiness, leaving little presents for Scout and Jem and
emerging at an opportune moment to save the children. An intelligent child emotionally damaged by his cruel father, Boo
provides an example of the threat that evil poses to innocence and goodness. He is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” a good
person injured by the evil of mankind.
Bob Ewell -  A drunken, mostly unemployed member of Maycomb’s poorest family. In his knowingly wrongful accusation that
Tom Robinson raped his daughter, Ewell represents the dark side of the South: ignorance, poverty, squalor, and hate-filled racial
prejudice.

Charles Baker “Dill” Harris -  Jem and Scout’s summer neighbor and friend. Dill is a diminutive, confident boy with an active
imagination. He becomes fascinated with Boo Radley and represents the perspective of childhood innocence throughout the
novel.

Miss Maudie Atkinson -  The Finches’ neighbor, a sharp-tongued widow, and an old friend of the family. Miss Maudie is almost
the same age as Atticus’s younger brother, Jack. She shares Atticus’s passion for justice and is the children’s best friend among
Maycomb’s adults.

Calpurnia -  The Finches’ black cook. Calpurnia is a stern disciplinarian and the children’s bridge between the white world and
her own black community.

Aunt Alexandra -  Atticus’s sister, a strong-willed woman with a fierce devotion to her family. Alexandra is the perfect
Southern lady, and her commitment to propriety and tradition often leads her to clash with Scout.

Mayella Ewell -  Bob Ewell’s abused, lonely, unhappy daughter. Though one can pity Mayella because of her overbearing
father, one cannot pardon her for her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson.

Tom Robinson -  The black field hand accused of rape. Tom is one of the novel’s “mockingbirds,” an important symbol of
innocence destroyed by evil.

Link Deas -  Tom Robinson’s employer. In his willingness to look past race and praise the integrity of Tom’s character, Deas
epitomizes the opposite of prejudice.

Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose -  An elderly, ill-tempered, racist woman who lives near the Finches. Although Jem believes that
Mrs. Dubose is a thoroughly bad woman, Atticus admires her for the courage with which she battles her morphine addiction.

Nathan Radley -  Boo Radley’s older brother. Scout thinks that Nathan is similar to the deceased Mr. Radley, Boo and Nathan’s
father. Nathan cruelly cuts off an important element of Boo’s relationship with Jem and Scout when he plugs up the knothole in
which Boo leaves presents for the children.

Heck Tate -  The sheriff of Maycomb and a major witness at Tom Robinson’s trial. Heck is a decent man who tries to protect the
innocent from danger.

Mr. Underwood -  The publisher of Maycomb’s newspaper. Mr. Underwood respects Atticus and proves his ally.

Mr. Dolphus Raymond -  A wealthy white man who lives with his black mistress and mulatto children. Raymond pretends to be
a drunk so that the citizens of Maycomb will have an explanation for his behavior. In reality, he is simply jaded by the hypocrisy
of white society and prefers living among blacks.

Mr. Walter Cunningham -  A poor farmer and part of the mob that seeks to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail. Mr. Cunningham
displays his human goodness when Scout’s politeness compels him to disperse the men at the jail.

Walter Cunningham -  Son of Mr. Cunningham and classmate of Scout. Walter cannot afford lunch one day at school and
accidentally gets Scout in trouble.