Inclusio

Techniques > Use of language > Figures of speech > Inclusio

Method | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

Inclusio is the bracketing of a passage of text with the same set of words at the start and end.

Example

Do not weep for me when I am gone. Weep for the lost people in the world. Weep for the hungry children. Weep for the homeless people. But do not weep for me when I am gone.

We will prevail. Though they will throw all their great might at us. Though we will be hard pressed. We will prevail.

Discussion

This is a form of repetition that also makes use of primacy (words at the beginning tend to be remembered) and recency (words at the end tend to remembered too). This makes it a powerful device for speech-makers and it can be seen in many classic political speeches.

A visual form of this can be seen in adverts, where a product or key message is repeated early and late in the production.

Classification: Repetition