<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 clauses are presented to the reader or hearer , then presented again in reverse order , in order to make a larger point . To diagram a simple chiasmus , the clauses are often labelled in the form 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 clauses ' your country ' : ' you ' are reversed in the second half of the sentence to ' you ' : ' your country ' . This is often used to invite the reader or hearer to reconsider the relationship between the repeated clauses . </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 clauses are presented to the reader or hearer , then presented again in reverse order , in order to make a larger point . To diagram a simple chiasmus , the clauses are often labelled in the form 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 clauses ' your country ' : ' you ' are reversed in the second half of the sentence to ' you ' : ' your country ' . This is often used to invite the reader or hearer to reconsider the relationship between the repeated clauses . </P>
ask not what your country can do for you literary device
ask not what your country can do for you literary device
chiasmus , or less commonly chiasm , ( Latin term from Greek χίασμα , `` crossing '' , from the Greek χιάζω , chiázō , `` to shape like the letter Χ '' )
chiasmus , or less commonly chiasm , ( Latin term from Greek χίασμα , `` crossing '' , from the Greek χιάζω , chiázō , `` to shape like the letter Χ '' )