chiasmus
What is Chiasmus? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples
Chiasmus Definition
Chiasmus (kee-AZZ-mus), from the Greek letter chi, is a type of parallelism: a grammatical and rhetorical term for creating a sense of linguistic balance by repeating elements within a sentence, over the course of several sentences, or in a longer work or speech.
With chiasmus, two phrases are juxtaposed; each of the phrases has two related and comparable key elements; and the key elements’ order in the second phrase is the inversion of the order in the first phrase.
Examples of Chiasmus
- “I forget to love you because you love to forget me.” In the first half of the chiasmus, I is the subject, forget is the verb, [to] love is the infinitive, and you is the object. In the second half, I becomes the object (me), [to] forget becomes the infinitive, love becomes the verb, and you becomes the subject.
- “Dedication must be your tunnel to success: achievement occurs through commitment.” This example uses synonyms and related language rather than the exact same words. Dedication, the subject in the first half, transforms into the synonymous commitment as it becomes the object of the preposition in the second half. Similarly, success, the object of the preposition in the first half, becomes achievement, the subject of the second half.
Chiasmus vs. Antimetabole
These two terms are easily confused, as many disagree on their relationship. As defined above, chiasmus juxtaposes two key elements across two phrases. In antimetabole, the elements in the two phrases are transposed; the phrase “Think and wonder, wonder and think” from Dr. Seuss’s Oh! The Places You Will Go is an example.
Some say chiasmus uses similar terms or synonyms but does not repeat the words in question. According to these sources, chiasmus and antimetabole are two distinct types of parallelism. Other sources say that antimetabole is a type of chiasmus, which may be the easier opinion to champion since chiasmus of any kind is rare.
Chiasmus in Speeches
Because chiasmus is a complete and balanced structure, it gives off an air of thoroughness and confidence, which garners trust. Politicians depend on gaining constituents’ trust, so chiasmus is a useful device. John F. Kennedy used several instances of chiasmus in his inaugural speech, including the famous “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
Examples of Chiasmus in Literature
1. John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
The chiasmus at the end of Keats’s poem on the immortality of art is a well-known expression:
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
2. Marilyn Nelson, “Open Secret”
Contemporary poet Nelson uses chiasmus and paradox to examine the complex nature of human love.
What is gentlest in love is love’s violence.
Losing yourself in love, you reach love’s goal.
Love makes you suffer, as love makes you whole.
Love steals your everything and makes you rich.
Love is both meaningless and poetry.
Captured by love, by love you are set free.
Concepts like gentleness and violence, being lost and being found, and captivity and freedom are juxtaposed in this stanza through variations of chiasmus.
3. Plato, Epigrams
Chiasmus is common in philosophy. In a collection of eighteen epigrams attributed to Plato, one contains a famous chiasmus:
Alive, you shone among us like the morning star;
now, like the evening star, your mantle lights the dead.
4. The Bible (NIV), 6 Genesis 11-12
Chiasmus is often used in religious writing—especially with older religions where teachings were initially passed down orally. The repetition and balance of chiasmus makes writing more memorable and encourages loyalty and trust:
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
Further Resources on Chiasmus
Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You: Chiasmus and a World of Quotations That Say What They Mean and Mean What They Say by Dr. Mardy Grothe conducts an in-depth investigation of chiasmus and its power while providing, analyzing, and telling the stories behind brilliant and popular examples of chiasmus throughout history.
Linguists Marie Dubremetz and Joakim Nivre analyze and compare chiasmus with two other rhetorical devices based in repetition—epanaphora/anaphora and epiphora—in a research article.