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Anastrophe is a figure of speech that changes the word order of a sentence to add emphasis. It can be done by placing the adjective behind the noun, moving an object to the beginning of a sentence, or reversing the subject and verb. Anastrophe is often used in poetry and by characters like Yoda in Star Wars.
Anastrophe is a technique in which a writer changes the word order of a sentence to add emphasis. As a form of hyperbatus, or a figure of speech in which the normal word order of sentences or phrases is rearranged, an instance of anastrophe is sometimes referred to as hyperbatus. Generally, anastrophes are formed in one of three ways: by placing the adjective behind the noun it modifies, by moving an object in front of a sentence, or by reversing the subject and verb.
Putting the adjective behind the modifying noun is the most common use of anastrophe. In normal English syntax, the sentence structure puts an adjective in front of the word it modifies, such as “yellow leaf” or “fragrant flower.” In these sentences, “yellow” and “fragrant” are the adjectives. The sentences would not immediately make sense if the adjectives were placed after the noun: “yellow leaf” or “fragrant flower”.
Anastrophe, on the other hand, puts adjectives behind nouns. For example, in the normally structured sentence, “my friend gave me a fragrant yellow flower,” the reader understands that the friend has given the speaker a flower, but the reader might overlook the adjectives used to describe that flower. Using the anastrophe, however, the writer can force the reader’s attention to the description of the flower: “My friend has given me a flower, fragrant and yellow.”
Objects are usually found at the end of a sentence. Moving an object to the beginning of a sentence is another use of anastrophe. One of the best known uses of this type of anastrophe is by the character Yoda in the Star Wars films. Yoda often speaks in anastrophe, making his words unique and memorable.
For example, in Return of the Jedi, Yoda tells Luke Skywalker, “When you reach 900, look how you won’t be.” This sentence reverses the object and subjects twice. The first part, “when 900 years you reach”, places the object “900 years” in front of the subject and the verb “you reach”. The second half, “look good as you won’t”, also switches position between the object and the subject-verb combination. Saying this sentence with normal syntax removes the uniqueness of the words and ends up sounding bland: “When you reach 900, you won’t look so good.”
Anastrophe can also be used by reversing the subject and verb. Most often found in poetry, this version of anastrophe draws attention to the verb and adds interest to less exciting sentences. For example, the sentence “the rabbit jumps down the lane” can be changed to “the rabbit jumps down the lane”.
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