# Is there a name for this African-American rhetorical device? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2011, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550 "2011-05-28T10:30:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/1 "2011-05-28T10:30:47Z")
The way they take a phrase as the ‘theme’ of a segment of rhetoric, but instead of saying it at the start of each stanza, they say it at the end and then leave a pause. Martin Luther King did it constantly in his most famous speeches, including “I have a dream”: > [@](#): > > "_ **I have a dream:** _ _(pause)_ > > That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. _ **I have a dream:** _ _(pause)_ > > that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. _ **I have a dream:** _ _(pause)_ > > that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. _ **I have a dream today:** _ _(pause)_" The phrase ‘I have a dream’ was clearly the start of each sentence, but instead he says it at the end of the previous one and then leaves a pause. He used the same device with ‘If I had sneezed:’ in his famous mountaintop speech. Gil Scott-Heron uses essentially the same device in the [Revolution Will Not Be Televised](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGaRtqrlGy8). I think it’s really effective at creating a powerful rhythm to the rhetoric - it’s almost overpowering in some of MLK’s speeches, the audience starts whooping and hollering in each pause - but it’s something I’ve only ever noticed black rhetoricians doing. I’d be interested to hear other examples if there are any. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/2 "2011-05-28T10:48:39Z")
Other than MLK, I’ve rarely heard this, so I wouldn’t say it was something unique to African American speech. If anything, I think this is more a preacher thing than a black thing. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/3 "2011-05-28T11:19:51Z")
Yes we can. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/4 "2011-05-28T12:15:08Z")
What you’re referring to is hardly unique to African Americans. ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/5 "2011-05-28T12:29:22Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > What you’re referring to is hardly unique to African Americans. What other examples are there? Who else does it? Is there a poetic term for it? As a note: I didn’t mean to suggest it’s a general African-American thing, I meant it’s something I’ve only ever heard used by African-American _orators_ (like preachers and spoken word artists). That famous “Yes We Can” part of that Obama speech that Will.I.Am turned into that slightly cringey song is indeed a good example of the same device: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms#t=10m48s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms#t=10m48s). I’ve heard Obama use it in small doses on other occasions as well, but he tends to stay away from going as far as that with it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/6 "2011-05-28T13:27:06Z")
> [@isaiahrobinson](#): > > What other examples are there? Who else does it? Is there a poetic term for it? > . Well, we don’t have audio of Jesus, but he starts the sermon on the mount similarly. I picture a pause between them as Jesus tells the crowd the exact opposite of what they expect. Blessed are the …for they … :pause: Blessed are the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ for they… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/7 "2011-05-28T13:36:14Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Well, we don’t have audio of Jesus, but he starts the sermon on the mount similarly. I picture a pause between them as Jesus tells the crowd the exact opposite of what they expect. > > Blessed are the …for they … > > :pause: > > Blessed are the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ for they… Most rhetoric involves repetition, but the device the OP specifically refers to would be: > [@JC](#): > > Blessed are… > > [pause] > > …the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are… > > [pause] > > …they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are… > > [pause] > > …the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are… (etc.) Similarly: > [@WC](#): > > we shall fight… > > [pause] > > …on the beaches, we shall fight… > > [pause] > > …on the landing grounds, we shall fight… > > [pause] > > …in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight… (etc.) It’s almost like a placeholder for “amen”. I’d also like to say it’s terribly effective. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/8 "2011-05-28T13:41:32Z")
A Pregnant Pause? In theatre terms, it might be called a “beat,” where a slight pause is introduced for dramatic effect. ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/9 "2011-05-28T14:36:04Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Most rhetoric involves repetition, but the device the OP specifically refers to would be: > > "we shall fight… > > [pause] > > …on the beaches, we shall fight… > > [pause] > > …on the landing grounds, we shall fight… > > [pause] > > …in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight… (etc.)" > > I’d also like to say it’s terribly effective. Exactly. The repetition of a phrase at the start of a sentence is called ‘anaphora’, and at the end of a sentence it’s called ‘epistrophe’. But I’m talking about the specific variant on those that black speakers like MLK, Obama and Gil Scott-Heron have used: technically they’re repeating the same phrase at the start of each sentence, but what they actually do is tack the repeated phrase onto the end of each previous sentence and then leave a pause before carrying on. It lends a powerful structure and momentum to the passage when it’s used in the right way. ---
**Author:** ![Frau\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ccd318/32.png) [@Frau\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frau_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/10 "2011-05-28T20:21:07Z")
I’ve often thought of it as a variant of _call and response_ - which has African roots as a communication device in public gatherings (and in music, but other cultures, notably Indian, use it in music as well). I’m not saying it _is_ call and response, but my inexpert ears hear some similarities. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/11 "2011-05-29T01:18:58Z")
Another example, or at least something similar, might be Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “[We real cool](http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15433)”. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/12 "2011-05-29T06:18:12Z")
[Anaphora](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphora). ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/13 "2011-05-29T06:41:13Z")
> [@isaiahrobinson](#): > > That famous “Yes We Can” part of that Obama speech that Will.I.Am turned into that slightly cringey song is indeed a good example of the same device: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms#t=10m48s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms#t=10m48s). I’ve heard Obama use it in small doses on other occasions as well, but he tends to stay away from going as far as that with it. In that case though, “yes we can” actually belongs at the end of the phrase its “connected” to. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/14 "2011-05-29T06:50:06Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > In that case though, “yes we can” actually belongs at the end of the phrase its “connected” to. Actually listening again, I guess it works both ways, “yes we can” might be at the beginning of the following line with a pause in between or it might be the end of the line without a pause. So nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![SayTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@SayTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SayTwo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/15 "2011-05-29T10:06:59Z")
I think the answer to your question is simply epistrophe. I would disagree with you, in the case of King’s speech, that he clearly was beginning the next sentence with the first words and then a lengthy pause. He may have done that a time or two, but those were transitional elements, where he went from establishing “I have a dream” as anaphora and morphing it to epistrophe. (In my mind, one of the many satisfying rhetorical elements of the speech). But by the time he was done with the morphing, “I have a dream, today” was clearly serving as punctuation at the end of his strophes. Because, you see, he was picking up the next strophes with “I have a dream” again. So in terms of rhetorical labels, the things we have in play (besides anaphora and epistrophe, both of which he was clobbering us with) are repetition, cadence, and rhythm. Those will probably loosely cover it. For something new, we might consider anaphora and epistrophe simultaneous, in a bookend fashion. On the “Revolution Will Not be Televised,” it just looks like plain epistrophe to me. ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/16 "2011-05-29T12:05:10Z")
> [@SayTwo](#): > > I think the answer to your question is simply epistrophe. I would disagree with you, in the case of King’s speech, that he clearly was beginning the next sentence with the first words and then a lengthy pause. He may have done that a time or two, but those were transitional elements, where he went from establishing “I have a dream” as anaphora and morphing it to epistrophe. (In my mind, one of the many satisfying rhetorical elements of the speech). But by the time he was done with the morphing, “I have a dream, today” was clearly serving as punctuation at the end of his strophes. > > Because, you see, he was picking up the next strophes with “I have a dream” again. So in terms of rhetorical labels, the things we have in play (besides anaphora and epistrophe, both of which he was clobbering us with) are repetition, cadence, and rhythm. Those will probably loosely cover it. For something new, we might consider anaphora and epistrophe simultaneous, in a bookend fashion. > > On the “Revolution Will Not be Televised,” it just looks like plain epistrophe to me. I think it’s even clearer in this “[If I had sneezed](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySGDMdQaDA0&feature=related#t=5m09s)…” section of his final speech. I think that clearly has to be the start of each sentence, but he leaves the pause after it. But you’re probably right that it’s just a combination of anaphora/epistrophe and pausing. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-african-american-rhetorical-device/583550/17 "2011-05-29T13:06:27Z")
It appears that both anaphora and epistrophe refer to the repetition, not the pause, and the OP included the pause as part of the question. Or perhaps it’s the _placement_ of the pause, shifting it from the most conventional place – between parallel phrases – to somewhere else for dramatic effect? Isn’t a pause like that similar to one Paul Harvey used, not to mention the device William Shatner is ridiculed for?