<P> In rhetoric , chiasmus or , less commonly , chiasm ( Latin term from Greek χίασμα , `` crossing '' , from the Greek χιάζω , chiázō , `` to shape like the letter Χ '' ) is the figure of speech in which two or more phrases are presented , then presented again in reverse order to make a larger point . To diagram a simple chiasmus , the phrases are often labelled ABB A. For example , John F. Kennedy said , `` ask not what your country can do for you ; ask what you can do for your country '' . The initial phrases your country : you are reversed in the second half of the sentence to you : your country . This is often used to urge the audience to reconsider the relationship between the repeated phrases . </P>
<P> In rhetoric , chiasmus or , less commonly , chiasm ( Latin term from Greek χίασμα , `` crossing '' , from the Greek χιάζω , chiázō , `` to shape like the letter Χ '' ) is the figure of speech in which two or more phrases are presented , then presented again in reverse order to make a larger point . To diagram a simple chiasmus , the phrases are often labelled ABB A. For example , John F. Kennedy said , `` ask not what your country can do for you ; ask what you can do for your country '' . The initial phrases your country : you are reversed in the second half of the sentence to you : your country . This is often used to urge the audience to reconsider the relationship between the repeated phrases . </P>
ask not what your country can do for your figure of speech
ask not what your country can do for your figure of speech
chiasmus
chiasmus