Anastrophe (an-as’-tro-phee): Departure from normal word order for the sake of emphasis. Anastrophe is most often a synonym for hyperbaton, but is occasionally referred to as a more specific instance of hyperbaton: the changing of the position of only a single word.
Darkening was the starless sky. Darkening as dark as tar. Darkening as dark as the dark shadow of a crow. So dark! So damn dark. Something bad was going to happen. Ink black skies are always foreboding. I went inside. It was dark—filled with shadows and gloom. I wanted to flee—to grab a flashlight and get out of there.
I turned on the lights.
“Surprise!” My friends were gathered in the living room. Music started playing. There was a banner stretched across the entryway to the kitchen that said “Congratulations!” “For what?” I asked. I couldn’t think of anything I should be congratulated for. My birthday was two months away. I had graduated from Milton Weed High School two weeks ago.
Suddenly, Mary Beth’s eye fell out and hit the floor with a plop, like a mini water ballon. She said “Whoops” and started walking toward me arms outstretched, dragging one foot. Then, Mike’s right arm dropped to the floor. The stench of rotting flesh was overpowering.
I woke up!
I was having my “All my friends are zombies dream.” I was wide awake, My heart was racing. I could hear music playing downstairs. It was probably my sister and her boyfriend. I was thirsty. So, I headed downstairs to get a drink of orange juice from the refrigerator. I heard voices in the living room. Oh God! Could it be?
I flipped on the lights and there they were—just like in my dream, even with the “Congratulations!” banner. But I knew what was going on—I had gotten a full scholarship to Yale, and that’s what this was about. I said “Thank you. Thank you. I love you guys.”
Then, Mary Beth’s eye fell out. She picked it up and put it back in. “Damn this thing. I’ve got to get it readjusted,” she said, and the Midnight party started.
Definitions courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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