chiasmus
A-B-B-A rhetoric
Chiasmus is a rhetorical figure in which two phrases mirror each other in reversed order: Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
The structure creates balance and emphasis by inverting parallel elements.
Common in speeches, poetry, and memorable quotations: When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Matching structural elements
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- anaphoraRepeated opening words
- epistropheRepeating concluding words
- zeugmaOne word, multiple applications
polysyndeton · tricolon · climax · anticlimax · repetition · inversion · juxtaposition · balance
Reversal of position
- reversalComplete change of direction
- mirrorReflective viewing surface
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
crossover · transposition · word order · syntactic · interchange · flip · reciprocal · crisscross
Art of persuasive language
- eloquencePersuasive verbal grace
- orationFormal public speech
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
- debateFormal argument on issues
discourse · speechwriting · argumentation · public speaking · declamation · address · exhortation · delivery
parallelism
Matching structural elements
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- anaphoraRepeated opening words
- epistropheRepeating concluding words
zeugma · polysyndeton · tricolon · climax · anticlimax · repetition · inversion · juxtaposition · balance · reversal
inversion
Reversal of position
- reversalComplete change of direction
- mirrorReflective viewing surface
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
balance · crossover · transposition · word order · syntactic · interchange · flip · reciprocal · crisscross · reflection
rhetoric
Art of persuasive language
- eloquencePersuasive verbal grace
- orationFormal public speech
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
debate · discourse · speechwriting · argumentation · public speaking · declamation · address · exhortation · delivery · cadence
wordplay
Verbal wit techniques
- figurativeRepresenting through imagery
- tropeRecurring narrative device
- dictionChoice of words
syntax · style · prose · motif · irony · paradox · oxymoron · eloquence · wit · aphorism
maxim
Brief moral principle
epigram · apothegm · motto · witticism · quotation · quip · pith · succinctness · brevity · punch