Sophia Stevens attended UHV until 2007 and will graduate with a B.A. in English from Rice University in May 2009. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and exploring foreign cultures, and reading books of choice not assigned in any of her numerous English courses.

Epistrophe is the repetition of a word or words at the end of a phrase or clause. Its rhetorical function is to provide dramatic or poetic emphasis to an idea or a passage.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us.”

In this well-known saying from Ralph Waldo Emerson, we can see that the mere repetition of a single word at the end of these three clauses adds rhythm to a simply worded idea and makes it more rememberable. Epistrophe is often associated with poetic or literary situations, but it can also be used in everyday speech or writing to add emphasis through deliberate repetition in writing that may otherwise sound plain.

If the bear population declines and the raccoon population declines, scientists fear a destructive increase in the number of fish migrating upriver.

In Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, Bella is focused entirely on the vampire Edward—she gazes at Edward, she dreams of Edward, she declares her love for Edward, and, even more than she wants to live, she wants to be with Edward.