Apostrophe (figure of speech)
(Redirected from Apostrophe (rhetoric))
Categories: 1911 Britannica | Figures of speech
Apostrophe (Greek αποστροφη, turning away; the final e being sounded) is an exclamatory rethorical figure of speech, when a speaker or writer breaks off and directs speech in an abstract direction, to a person not present, or to a thing. In dramatic works and poetry, it is often introduced by the word "O" (not the exclamation "oh").
It is related to personification, although in apostrophe, objects or abstractions are implied to have certain human qualities (such as understanding) by the very fact that the speaker is addressing them as he would a person in his presence.
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Examples
- "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:55
- "O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! / Thou art the ruins of the noblest man / That ever lived in the tide of times." Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1.
- "To what green altar, O mysterious priest, / Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies, / And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?" John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn
- "O eloquent, just, and mighty Death!" Sir Walter Raleigh, History of the World
- "Roll on thou dark and deep blue ocean." Lord Byron
- Common usage as an opposition speaker at a political convention: "And I say to you, Mr. President, we do not want our children to grow up in a world where...(etc.)"
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References
- This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.fr:Apostrophe (rhétorique)