Parallelism Of Anaphora In Dante's Inferno

Aside from their conflicting metaphors, both poems also use anaphora to establish art’s binary character. For example, in “A sonnet,” Dante begins the poem by stating, “A sonnet is a moment’s monument, – / Memorial from the Soul’s eternity” (D. Rossetti 1-2). That said, after the sonnet’s volta, he states, “A sonnet is a coin” (8), thus beginning the distinctly separate movement with a parallel syntax and word choice. Here, Dante separates his sonnet into two distinct¬– but nonetheless parallel– movements. The parallelism of the anaphora ultimately unifies the octave with the sestet, allowing the poem to progress and develop whilst maintaining its congruity. The structure of the anaphora in turn complements what the speaker is trying to establish