Chiasmus is a literary device that reverses the order of words or sentence structure in parallel clauses. It can be found in poetry, political speeches, and advertising. Antimetabole is a type of chiasmus where the same words are used in reverse order. Phonetic chiasm changes sounds for effect. It is “chiastic,” not “chiasmic,” and the plural form is “chiasmus.”
Chiasmus is a literary or rhetorical device used to spice up language and make it more interesting. Reverses the order of the modifiers, or simply the structure of the sentence in two connected clauses, called parallel. A simple example of a chiasmus is as follows:
He bravely led and we bravely followed.
In the previous case, the simple construction varies in the two clauses. In the first sentence the verb is followed by the adverb. In the second, the verb follows the adverb. This is the AB, BA structure. A equals the verb and B equals the adverb. The verbs in this case are led and followed and the adverb in both clauses is the word bravely.
Bible poetry and work contain numerous examples of chiasmus. The AB, BA structure can be complicated into an ABC, CBA structure as it is in the following quotation from Genesis 9:6. “Whoever sheds a man’s blood, from a man, his blood will be shed”. In the first sentence A= the one who spills, B = the blood, C = of the man. In the second sentence, C = from the man, B = his blood, A = to be shed.
Chiasmus can also reverse the order of letters for literary effect. For example, one might say, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a life is a terrible thing to think about.” In this case, homophonic waste and life sound the same, but have different meanings.
Even chiasmus can only be implied. For example, the Kermit the Frog quote “Time is fun when you’re having fun” implies the parallel sentence “Time flies when you’re having fun”. It is not necessary to quote the parallel sentence to use the chiasmus in this sense.
The phonetic chiasm changes sounds to achieve the cross-structure of parallel clauses. One of the most famous of these is: “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.” Many jokes are built around the phonetic chiasm. For example, the joke: what is the difference between a boxer and one who has a cold? is answered with this chiasmus:
“The former knows his strokes
And the second one blows his nose.’
A very specific form of chiasmus is called an antimetabole. This is when the same words are used but in reverse order. The most recognizable antimetabolic example in modern times is John F. Kennedy’s famous quote, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” What your country can do for you, is confusing but contains all the same words that are in what you can do for your country.
Antimetabole is a type of chiasmus, but not all chiasmus is a type of antimetabole. I hope you caught that sentence as a chiasmus and an antimetabole. Because repetition can form such an interesting part of speaking and writing, the chiasmus can surely be found in numerous places, and you can practice using it in your work for emphasis, humor, or greater effectiveness. Look for examples of chiasmus in poetry, political speeches, the Bible, literature, and advertising.
Also note that when you refer to this figure of speech, it is “chiastic” not chiasmic. The plural form of chiasmus, chiasmi is not commonly used and most people use chiasmus for both the singular and plural forms.
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