Polysyndeton | Definition & Examples

Polysyndeton (pronounced as po-ly-sin-de-tahn) is a rhetorical device that is typically used for its rhythmic and other effects. Let's take a look at how Yeats uses it for instance:

Yeats, "Sailing to Byzantium" (1928):

Once out of nature I shall never take

My bodily form from any natural thing,

But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make

Of hammered gold and gold enamelling

To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;

Or set upon a golden bough to sing

To lords and ladies of Byzantium

Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

Polysyndeton is used in the last line of the poem for its rhythmic effect and for the childlike wonder of the magico-religious fantasy being described by Yeats in this poem of leaving the physical world and serving in the spiritual world. In particular, this literary device is effective because of the parallel construction or isocolon used in describing the three tenses in terms of time in combination with Yeats' iconic poetic phrasing.

"Past," "passing," and "to come" to the naked eye seem simple enough. However, the poet would have had to think carefully to create a line that expresses his meaning in grammatically accurate language while simultaneously achieving the isocolonic effect and staying within the rigid parameters of iambic pentameter. All this while achieving the intended poetic effect of transporting the reader into the fantasy land of Byzantium.

In this article, we discuss the effects of polysyndeton and provide numerous examples of this rhetorical device, including from the American poet Sylvia Plath. Read on to learn more. 

Image of Sylvia Plath

What is polysyndeton?

Polysyndeton refers to the repeated use of conjunctions. It can be used for several effects. Let’s look at an example below with Sylvia Plath, “Daddy” (1965): 

But they pulled me out of the sack,   

And they stuck me together with glue.   

And then I knew what to do.

I made a model of you,

A man in black with a Meinkampf look

And a love of the rack and the screw.   

And I said I do, I do.

So daddy, I’m finally through.

The black telephone’s off at the root,   

The voices just can’t worm through.

Sylvia Plath uses polysyndeton here to create a unique rhythmic effect. This is important as the poetry of Sylvia Path is famous (or notorious) for being jerky and ineloquent. She gives the impression of a hysterical speaker who cannot keep a coherent train of thought.

The polysyndeton contributes significantly toward creating and supporting that impression. The speaker appears to be making things up as she goes along— which is one of the main effects of polysyndeton. 

The uses and effects of polysyndeton

Polysyndeton has the following uses and effects: 

1. It is used to create rhythm. For example, A and B and C has an obviously more rhythmic effect than A, B, C, and D. 

2. It creates the impression that the speaker is making things up as they go along. This was seen in the excerpt from the Plath poem. 

3. It emphasizes items in a series by separating them with "and" instead of commas. 

4. It emphasizes the large number of items in a series.

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Examples of polysyndeton

Below are examples of polysyndeton.

1. Hawthorne, English Notebooks (1856):

We talked about the position of men of letters in England, and they said that the aristocracy hated and despised and feared them . . .

This first example of Hawthorne emphasizes the conflict between "men of letters in England" and the strong feelings of fear and hatred that the aristocratic class has toward them. The extract seems to suggest that the aristocracy fears men of letters as much as it hates them. The point of the author is to highlight that the scholarly class in England posed a threat to the aristocratic class.

2. Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843):

He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses, and up to the windows, and found that everything could yield him pleasure. 

This is from Dickens' famous novel, A Christmas Carol. The character featured here is Ebenezer Scrooge. The passage recounts his feelings of his gratitude at having a second chance at life. After being visited by a series of ghosts who show how miserably his life would end if he chose not to change his mean, selfish, and miserly habits, he chooses to reform and become a more benevolent and selfless human being. The polysyndeton used in the passage emphasizes his excitement and hope at being given a second chance at being a decent human being.

3. Thoreau, Walden (1854):

Of a life of luxury the fruit is luxury, whether in agriculture, or commerce, or literature, or art.

The third example of polysyndeton is from Walden. The literary device is used to emphasize how luxury is the ultimate result (or fruit) of lives lived in relative comfort and even complacency in all industries ranging from agriculture to art. The point being made is that innovators in any industry should not rest on their laurels or choose social conventions and comfort over innovation and original thinking.

4. Luke 17:27:

They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 

This is quite an interesting passage from the New Testament Bible. It is interesting in that it employs both asyndeton and polysyndeton. Asyndteon is the opposite of polysyndeton and refers to a lack of conjunctions between a series of items. This can be seen in the first part of the sentence. Asyndeton has the effect of emphasizing the sense of normalcy of living daily life without care or worry by the inhabitants of the Earth before God decided to wipe them all out with a ruinous flood.

On the other hand, the polysyndeton used at the end of the sentence is used to show how sudden the event and effects of the flood were. There is almost a sense of balance in the sentence. The longer portion of the sentence includes a series of daily activities carried out in normal life, whereas the end of the sentence uses polysyndeton to connect two brief clauses explaining how all these activities and people came to a sudden end.

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Cite this EminentEdit article

Antoine, M. (2024, September 21). Polysyndeton | Definition & Examples. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/polysyndeton