Definitions of Poetic Parallelisms
|
Synonymous
parallelism |
The
two lines feature synonyms—words that mean the same or nearly the same thing,
such as people and persons, shut and close, house
and home. |
|
Antithetical
parallelism |
The
two lines feature opposites—words that feature opposites or contrasts, such
as man and woman, day and night, good and bad. |
|
Emblematic
parallelism |
One
or both lines feature emblematic (symbolic) words or themes, including similes,
metaphors, personifications, and so forth. |
|
Chiasmus |
A
mirrored parallelism, or a presentation of a series of words or thoughts
followed by a second presentation of similar words or thoughts but in reverse
order, such as “woman, man, man, woman”; or “tree, river, river, tree.” |
Table
taken from:
Donald
W. Parry, Search Diligently The Words of Isaiah (Provo, Utah: BYU
Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2023), 51
