There are many concepts that intermediate and developing writers will have to learn to make improvements in their work. First, it’s grammar and spelling. Eventually, writers need to explore more complex concepts to elevate their skills and gain more control over their literature. Parallelism is one of these concepts. It is used by every successful author and scholar, and you should learn it too. But don’t click away if you’ve already been introduced to this topic, there will be valuable information in this article for writers of all levels.
Defining parallelism is a bit difficult because it can be used in many different ways. Generally, it refers to writing sentences and components of sentences in a parallel structure. Let’s look at some simple examples.
The fish was small, blue, and slow.
Notice that “small,” “blue,” and “slow” are all adjectives in their basic form. The fish was not smaller than a shark, blue, and slow. It was small. The bolded example breaks parallel structure. To say that the fish was small, blue, and moved slowly does as well, because instead of having all three descriptors be adjectives, slow is changed to its adverbial form.
Now that you get the idea, let’s look at a few famous examples. The following is from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
The first example shows parallelism because all three descriptors are adjectives. Dr. King’s speech does it by creating parallel sentences. You’ve probably noticed the repetition of the phrase, “I have a dream.” This is at the heart of the composition of this excerpt, it serves as a cornerstone to build off of. The second usage is in the use of “will” or other bolded variations. It is used in each sentence to segue into its second half. In the third paragraph, you’ll notice the repetition of “sweltering.” It is used in succession for two phrases, but in the next phrase, the word oasis is used instead. Dr. King uses parallelism in this instance to create an image of social progress- a refreshing pool of water in the sweltering heat of the desert.
My favorite example comes from the 1930’s. People around the world can recognize J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous verse from his Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is nothing short of iconic. I think that Tolkien’s rigid use of parallel structure plays a big part in making this poem so memorable. Let’s take a look at it.
- Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
3. Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
4. One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
5. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
6. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
7. One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
8. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
It isn’t difficult to spot the repetitions in different lines. The most ubiquitous motif is in the use of numbers and lines 1-4 do this in identical ways. Each alludes to a number of rings, those who the artifacts were given to, and a descriptor of them. Let’s skip to lines 6 and 7. These two alliterate in parallelism, which creates a very pleasant sound to the wording. The second part of each clause creates this: “rule them all,” “find them,” “bring them all,” “bind them.” We also see a call an answer pattern on either side of the comma on these two lines. If “one ring to rule them” is a call, the answer is “to find them. We see further evidence of this parallel structure in the fact that “all” is on the left side of the comma in both instances- the right side answering what to do with “all.” We are left with he two lines that often confuse readers of Tolkien’s verse: 4 and 8. They say the exact same thing, it may be impossible to get more parallel than that. For those interested in deep analysis, I suggest that each answers the set of parallel lines before it (1-4 and 6-7).
Tolkien’s wordsmithing was a huge factor in his success. Like Martin Luther king Jr., he had a powerful command of language and could use it to dazzle the senses of readers. You can too. Next time you’re going through any type of writing, try to notice this type of usage. Practice parallelism in your own writing. Explain it to a friend or colleague. This is an invaluable tool for gaining control over your writing and delivering communication more effectively.