In rhetoric, antimetabole is the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order; for example, "I know what I like, and I like what I know". It is related to, and sometimes considered a special case of, chiasmus. One lasting example of this is John F. Kennedy’s famous phrase “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”. "You In context|rhetoric|lang=en terms the difference between chiasmus and antimetabole is that chiasmus is (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases while antimetabole is (rhetoric) the technique of reversal, where accentuated by reversal of words, actions or grammatical structure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. As nouns the difference between chiasmus and antimetabole is that chiasmus is (rhetoric) an inversion of the relationship between the elements of phrases while antimetabole is (rhetoric) the technique of reversal, where accentuated by reversal of words, actions or grammatical structure. Mae West, in Every Day’s a Holiday (1937), I am a marvellous housekeeper. Here’s a quick and simple definition:Some additional key details about antimetabole: 1. The definition of chiasmus is a clause that is inversely repeated. America did not invent human rights. a verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first with the parts reversed. Antimetabole examples resemble chiasmus, as they are marked by the inversion of the structure. Antimetabole Arch form Chiastic structure Contrapposto Figure of speech Golden line a Latin poetic line based on an abAB structure Rhetoric Russian reversal; voiceless uvular fricative. […] Martin Oliva said it best on his blog: […]. A similar device, antimetabole, also involves a reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses, but unlike chiasmus, presents a repetition of words in an A-B-B-A configuration. Here, the exact same words, grammatical structure, and rhythm are used create the second clause with the opposite meaning. It can be used to convey paradoxes and irony, to strengthen an argument, or to show in a novel way how two ideas relate to each other. Chiasmus derives from the Greek for \"a placing crosswise, diagonal arrangement.\" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. For example:Antimetabole examples resemble chiasmus, as they are marked by the inversion of structure. I mean everyone has used those phrases, like "I say what I mean and I mean what I say". Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. According to this, every example on this page is antimetabole. However, both the terms still exist to refer to two distinct literary devices. ( Log Out /  Richard Lederer, Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. ( Log Out /  John F. Kennedy, Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house. Anadiplosis is closely related to two other literary devices: Chiasmus and Antimetabole. Antimetabole appears in a wide variety of contexts, from jokes and idioms to political speeches and literature. The Difference between a Chiasmus & an Antimetabole The following is a technical explanation, concerning rhetorical devices, on the difference between an ordinary chiasmus, and an antimetabole. Some rhetorical glossaries distinguish between chiasmus (diagonal arrangement of ideas and grammar) and antimetabole (diagonal arrangement of exact words). Antimetabole is very similar to chiasmus, but the words and grammatical structure must be reversed, since simply reversing the meaning is not enough. Malcolm X (Didn’t Cole Porter use this line in Anything Goes? Richard Lederer, This isn’t a bar for writers with a drinking problem; it’s for drinkers with a writing problem. According to scholars, when a sentence is repeated by reversing it, so as to convey an idea or stress a point, it is called chiasmus. Here are some of my favourites: I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. I don't know if he had a speech writer who came up with that particular chiasmus but it was very clever and pertinent. In a very real sense, it is the other way round. Antimetabole comes from the Greek phrase, "turning about in the opposite direction." Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In examples of chiasmus, however, the words and phrases are not repeated. This quote sound like it comes from the 20th century at the earliest. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. 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