What term describes the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences?

Prepare for the AP English Literature and Composition exam. Utilize quizzes with literary terms, hints, and explanations to improve your study efficiency and exam readiness.

The term that describes the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences is anaphora. This rhetorical device creates emphasis and can evoke strong emotions in the reader or listener by reinforcing a particular idea or theme. For example, a speaker might say "We must fight for justice. We must fight for equality. We must fight for our future," emphasizing the urgency and importance of the cause through the repeated phrase at the start of each statement.

Repetition, while it denotes the recurrence of words or phrases, does not specify the position within the sentence or line structure. Symploce involves the repetition of words or phrases at both the beginning and end of sentences but is broader than just the beginning. Climax, on the other hand, refers to the structuring of ideas so that they gradually increase in importance or intensity, and does not pertain to repetition at all. Thus, anaphora is the precise term for what is described in the question.

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