Sep 01 2008
When Repetition Works … and When It Doesn’t
In school, my English teachers taught me to avoid repetition when writing. As a professional writer I soon learned that this was not always sound advice. Yes, repetition can bog down a written piece. But it can also be a powerful writing tool if used intelligently.
For example, Martin Luther King Jr. used repetition masterfully in his now-famous “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. In the follow excerpt from the speech, he uses the word “dream” 11 times, and the phrase “I have a dream” eight times.
“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. “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 one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. “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. I have a dream today! “I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification’ – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. “I have a dream today! “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.’”
King could have replaced “I have a dream” with such phrases as “I foster a hope,” “I harbor a wish,” “wouldn’t it be nice,” “I think it would be awesome if” and so on, but saying “I have a dream” over and over again added punch to the speech and made it more memorable. Repetition drove the concept home.
Listen for repetition when you hear speeches or read written pieces – especially political and religious ones. You will hear it employed frequently.
This is not to say that repetition is always a good idea. Much of the time it is not. The following is an example of the bad sort of repetition:
“This morning I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Then I went to the kitchen to fix some breakfast. Then I went to the office to write a blog post. Then I went out for a walk. Then I went to the post office to mail a letter. Then I went to the store for some groceries. Then I went to …”
You get the point. While repetition can be powerful, it is sometimes merely lazy – the literary equivalent of pouring a bucket of water on a campfire.
Pay attention to your writing. Be aware when you are being repetitious. Decide whether the repetition helps or hurts the piece. Make changes if necessary.
Finally, remember this: Most writing will not be hurt by a moderate amount of repetition. Some writers refuse to use the same word twice in the same paragraph or three times in the same piece (excluding the many common words such as “and,” “the,” and “a,” of course). This only drives an iron rod up the backbone of their writing and makes them crazy. Don’t do it. There are more enjoyable ways to drive yourself crazy.
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Wow what an incredibly useful blog. It’s nice to hear wisdom from somebody who has been in the business for so many years. Thanks!