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Call of the sea endings7/5/2023 He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. It takes two or three repetitions before there’s a finality to it, like a bell tolling for the conclusion of the story. Doesn’t have the same ring, does it? In fact, it makes it seem like the middle of the story, just another unremarkable line. Here’s an exercise: take all the examples below and try rewriting them without any repetition. Whatever you’re ending on, it’s something you want to emphasize, right? So heighten that emphasis with repetition. It rivals rhyme as a device to shape language. – Roberto Bolano, “Last Evenings on Earth” RepetitionĪncient Hebrew poetry never used rhyme - it used repetition for emphasis. Tomorrow we’ll leave, tomorrow we’ll go back to Mexico City, thinks B joyfully. “Then his father walks toward the door stooping slightly and B stands aside to give him room to move. They were lean and seedy, unshaven, slouching behind the brims of their hats. “I turned and looked past the neighborhood kids - my playmates - at the two men, the strangers. “If you’ll secure the strap, Nurse Shepherd, then I think we can begin.” “Lie back, Michael, my sweet.” She nodded briskly at Pauline. It keeps the story alive, rather than closing it off.
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