Polysyndeton
This figure is characterized by the use of many conjunctions.
If this is done, then each term or idea connected by the conjunction receives the same emphasis, it being of equal importance to any other of its kind.
The terms receive the same level of emphasis, and since they together demand a long breath to be pronounced at a stretch, they create a sustaining flow of emotion. This in turn helps create the emphasis.
See the following examples.
1.
(a) They all died in the accident-the man, the woman, the child, and the dog.
(b) They all died in the accident-the man and the woman and the child and the dog. I weep for them all.
2.
(a) Whom do you love most? I love my father, mother, wife, and son. I love them all equally.
(b) I love my father, and my mother, and my wife, and my son. I love them all equally.
Remember: Polysyndeton and chiasmus suit well in the last sentence of an article, essay, paragraph, or story, because they give a sense of fulfillment and perfection and termination.
