Parallelism is the repetition of grammatical elements in a text. These elements can be exact words and phrases. Mimicking of sentence structure and repeating meter or meaning. While a complex literary tool, parallelism is neither difficult to master nor rare in use. Due to the memorable effect parallelism creates, this technique is quite popular in speeches
What is Parallelism?
Parallelism is a simple but complex literary device used by writers. Parallelism repeats grammatical elements, such as exact words or phrases. At other times, it repeats sentence structure, meter, or meaning. Parallelism often creates rhythm and flow in a piece of writing and can add a lyrical quality to text. Parallelism can be used to create a sense of unity and structure, as well as to emphasize a point or idea. At times, parallelism is also used to create a sense of contrast or comparison between two ideas.
Common everyday examples of parallelism include:
- Stupid is as stupid does.
- We came, we saw, we conquered.
- Feed a man a fish, and he will have food for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed a man for life.
How to pronounce Parallelism?
When do writers use Parallelism?
Writers use parallelism because it makes their writing memorable and more impactful. Parallelism is a useful tool to add rhythm, make a piece of writing more memorable, or make a text easier to understand.
Writers, particularly those working on speeches, like to use parallelism because it shortens the length of the sentence. Parallelism may also be used to emphasize the relationship between two or more ideas or draw a contrast between two things.
Explain the types of Parallelism
In writing, there are two types of parallelism: parallelism as principle and parallelism as a literary device.
As a principle is often referred to as parallelism, parallel structure, or parallel construction. The type of parallelism is typically broken into two categories, faulty and successful.
Faulty parallel structure: The city plans to increase the frequency of trains and a bus. (Numbers do not match.)
Successful parallel structure: The city plans to increase the frequency of trains and buses.
As a literary device it is often used as a figure of speech that goes above and beyond grammatical structure. It may repeat a word or several words at the beginning of a sentence.
Example: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
When Using Parallelism as a Literary Device .. 📚
While typically, this section is used to instruct you on how to incorporate parallelism into your writing, there are a few things to avoid in order to make it work.
- Different verb tenses.
- Different parts of speech.
- Different point-of-view.
- Different numbers.
Parallelism in Literature and Speech 🧸
As previously noted, parallelism is a popular tool used in speeches, but it is also found in literature and other written works. Check out these noteworthy examples of parallelism in speech and literature.
“I Have a Dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. –
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Note the repetition of “I have a dream” throughout this passage.
Another great example occurs in Winstin Churchill’s speech, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches.” –
“We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
And turning to literature, first up, we have an example from the master of all things literary: Shakespeare along with A snippet from Charles Dickens’.
Julius Caesar, Shakespeare –
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.”
In this verse, note the rhythm and structure of the passage.
And then in Dickens A Tale of Two Cities,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Note what words and phrases are being repeated and think about how the repetition contributes to the rhythm and message of the passage.
And in Poetry . . . ✍🏽
Once again, parallelism can be found in written works such as plays, novels, speeches, literature, and of course, poetry.
“A Litany for Survival,” Andre Lorde –
And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never return
and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.n
Parallelism in Children’s Literatures 🧸
Just as in other written works, parallelism is also found in children’s literature. As you can see, parallelism adds depth and a lesson to children’s stories.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“Where the sidewalk ends, the fun begins” – “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” Shel Silverstein
“I think I can, I think I can” – The Little Engine That Could, Watty Piper
For More Information on Parallelism and Parallel Structure
For more information on parallelism as a literary device, check out this useful educational video discussing parallel structure.
See Also . . .👥
Repetition – The repetitive use of a word or phrase for the purpose of creating rhythm, rhyme, emphasis, imagery, or emotion in a piece of writing.