Line #120 Main/Mesodiplosis


1	->''You're the cream in my coffee''\
2	''You're the salt in my stew''\
3	''You'll always be my necessity''\
4	''I'd be lost without you''\
5	''You're the starch in my collar''\
6	''You're the lace in my shoe''\
7	''You'll always be my necessity''\
8	''I'd be lost without you''
9	-->-- '''''You're the Cream in My Coffee''', 1928 song''
10
11	Mesodiplosis, sister to {{Anadiplosis}}, is a word formed of three parts:
12	# μέσος (''Mesos''), meaning "middle"
13	# δίπλω (''díplō''), meaning "a doubling"
14	# σις (-''sis''), suffix to turn verbs to nouns.
15
16	The doubling of middles, in this case, the middles of phrases. It is the opposite of {{Symploce}}, where consecutive phrases share beginnings and ends.
17
18	This is used to highlight ''something'' about the consecutive phrases, with multiple possible ''somethings'' available:
19
20	When the shared words are nearly inconsequential ones like "and" or "of", then it just serves to make the parallelism more noticeable, but if the shared words are more consequential like nouns or multi-word phrases, then the parallelism is less likely to just be for being artistic with words but to express some message about a difference or similarity between the phrases that share words.
21
22	English's usual word order is SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), which means that the simplest of these examples will share their verbs, and those aren't usually the most important part of a set of multiple sentences if they're the verb, especially because it can be much more implied, given how people do things within limits, so it's not always necessary to be precise on what's being done. For example: "Alice worked on the apple, Bob worked on the stone", the context that the first item is food and the second is non-edible implies that the two kinds of "work" can't be the same. You don't typically eat stones, after all. And "worked on" isn't doing much other than anchoring the statements in the past or present.
23
24	It's more common in languages that have a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure--such as Ancient Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, and Japanese-- because the object is frequently the most important part of the sentence and stays in place when describing multiple interactions with the same object.
25
26	RosesAreRedVioletsAreBlue is a subtrope. IDontLikeYouAndYouDontLikeMe examples have a chance to overlap with this if the {{Stock Phrase\|s}} is split into multiple phrases with a comma or something. Contrast {{Symploce}}. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimetabole Antimetaboles]], consecutive phrases with their word order flipped, such as "Tous pour un, un pour tous" of ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'', may also be {{anadiplosis}}es, as well as mesodiplosises.
27	----
28	!!Examples:
29	[[foldercontrol]]
30
31	[[folder:Fan Works]]
32	* ''Fanfic/AmaranthineShadows'': In the seventh chapter, this is LostInTranslation from Spanish to English: Galatea suffers from a PTSD flashback episode about Icy tearing her wings. The narration establishes a metaphor between that traumatic event and a spider eating a butterfly trapped in its spiderweb, so the pain caused by the spider's venom is equaled to the pain provoked by the flashback. So we have: "The '''spider''''s venom gnawing at her insides. Of the '''spidery''' memory of her broken wings." In the original Spanish text, the word "arácnido" is located in the middle of both phrases and used as both a noun (arachnid) and an adjective (spidery) to reinforce the parallel.
33	* ''Fanfic/ArrestYeMerryGentlemares'': Rainbow Dash describing what changed in some people, connecting all the changes with "has a":
34	-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' Spike has a beard, Big Mac has a horn, and Discord has a mane like a shampoo ad.
35	* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'':
36	** "Time Flies": When Ami is thinking about her StudentTeacherRomance crush, she questions the ethics of it, inadvertently using "He was" {{Anaphora}} and "her" Mesodiplosis because of his multiple roles in relation to her:
37	--->He was her employee. He was also her teacher, which made things doubly wrong.
38	** "The Duel": Jared's summarizing an event that occurred between him and an "unsympathetic troll":
39	--->Good for me, bad for him,
40	* ''Fanfic/ElementalsOfHarmony: Sideboard of Harmony'': "How Pinkie Got Her Cutie Mark": Using "for" to indicate that all these are representing the same balance:
41	-->'''Teferi:''' This plane seems to expect a balance. Creation for destruction. Order for chaos. Harmony for discord."
42	* ''Fanfic/FugueState'': Listing the problems in the long description:
43	--> Ponyville has a problem: Twilight's friends all switched Cutie Marks, and the musical numbers are flying thick and fast.\
44	Lyra has a problem: She can't handle the way musical numbers get into your head and take you over.\
45	Bon Bon has a problem with that.
46	* ''Fanfic/AGameOfCatAndCat'':
47	** "Your Daily Public Service Announcement Against Underage Drinking, or, Don't Drink and Dash": Listing out the details needed to solidify for a good alibi, with the list items connected by {{Epiphora}}, Mesodiplosis, and {{Anaphora}}:
48	--->"But we still need to get our story straight. How did we get there, why were we there, what were we drinking, what was the name of the—"
49	** "Another Chapter of Just Talking": Connecting a sequence of questions with {{Anaphora}} of "Where" and Mesodiplosis "you".
50	--->"Where are you from? Where did you learn to fight?"
51	** "Prelude to Pandemonium": Should have-s, but didn't's are listed:
52	--->It should have worked. He should have been impressed.
53	* ''Fanfic/OversaturatedWorld'': ''Group Precipitation'': [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/323071/118/group-precipitation/highest-of-the-high-rises-by-artiestroke "Highest of the High Rises, by ArtieStroke"]]: repeated "NOT" for emphasis
54	-->'''Sunset:''' Rainbow Dash, for the last time, I'm NOT [[spoiler:God]], you are NOT [[spoiler:a Super Hayan]], and this is NOT [[spoiler:Dragon Pearl X]].
55	* ''Fanfic/ThePalaververse: Wedding March'': "Be Sure to Arrive in Good Time, so You Miss None of the Excitement": Mesodiplosis of "called it" into {{Anaphora}} of "others called it" back into Mesodiplosis of "called it", when describing donkey Cunning:
56	-->It wasn't one of the more dramatic magical gifts, donkey Cunning, but it ''earned'' its capital letter. Some called it unconscious genius, others called it being natural smart-alecks, and others called it things unrepeatable in polite company. Whatever you called it, it was a knack for understanding systems and how they worked, for building up a gestalt picture from scraps of the whole.
57	* ''Fanfic/ThePetricultureCycle: Inscape'': "Prisoner's Base": Pinkie Pie's transformation chant that's made to have a lyrical/rhythmic quality, which "like a" Mesodiplosis helps with:
58	-->Pinkie Pie found a secluded alleyway near the Residential District and began her old warm-up routine: "Flat like a pancake, round like a balloon, pointy like a pincushion, square like a cube." The fact that "balloon" and "cube" didn’t exactly rhyme had always bothered her a bit, but she didn’t really have the time to dwell on revisions.
59	* ''Fanfic/{{Quizzical}}: A Little Fixer-Upper'': Apple Bloom's instructions on painting involve talking about how to breathe with "through your" Mesodiplosis:
60	-->"Remember to sweep the brush up and down," said Apple Bloom. "And breath[e], in through your mouth, out through your nose."
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
64	* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Uses {{Anaphora}} and Mesodiplosis in its creeds:
65	** The canonical Jedi Code is composed this way, with "There is" as both the Anaphora and Mesodiplosis:
66	--->''There is no emotion, there is peace.\
67	There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.\
68	There is no passion, there is serenity.\
69	There is no chaos, there is harmony.\
70	There is no death, there is the Force.''
71	** The Sith Code is less blatant about this, with "Through" {{Anaphora}}, but also features mesodiplosis in its middle section, with "I gain":
72	--->''Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.\
73	Through Passion, I gain Strength.\
74	Through Strength, I gain Power.\
75	Through Power, I gain Victory.\
76	Through Victory, my chains are Broken.''\
77	The Force shall free me.''
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Literature]]
81	* ''Literature/ABuddingScientistInAFantasyWorld: A Small Town in Southern Illvaria'': The first book's full title has an "In" in both the series title and the title for the book, and an {{Anaphora}} of "A" to start them both off.
82	* ''Literature/BulwerLyttonFictionContest'': [[https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2023 2023 entries]], one of the Romance category's Dishonorable Mentions uses a list of "the [Noun] (on/in) his [Noun]" comparative phrases to say how Doug feels about his love interest:
83	-->She was the caviar on his blintz, the cream in his coffee, the hole in his donut, and the cherry on his chocolate sundae, thought Doug Penrose as he looked at Katie through the haze of the Labor Day barbecue smoke, if only she’d stop nagging him about his weight.\
84	G. Andrew Lundberg, Los Angeles, CA
85	* "Literature/GoblinMarket":
86	** The fifth and sixth lines start the product listing for the titular market, with "and" being the middle of those lines, probably to lengthen the lines beyond the unusually short 2 word lines for a poem.
87	--->Apples and quinces,\
88	Lemons and oranges,\
89	Plump unpeck'd cherries,\
90	Melons and raspberries,
91	** Noting how some sold fruits are good to the senses, with "and" as a divider, even as phrases are not separated by a comma.
92	--->Sweet to tongue and sound to eye;
93	* ''Literature/{{Jabberwocky}}'': Comparing threats of the jaws and claws of the Jabberwock:
94	-->The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
95	* "Literature/KeepingQuiet" by Creator/PabloNeruda, starts with instructions to "we all":
96	-->Now we will count to twelve\
97	and we will all keep still.
98	* ''Literature/LyttleLyttonContest'': The 2008 Fantasy Fiction winner, uses "Of" Mesodiplosis for song lyrics presumably because it makes it easy to continue singing by just listing other possessions:
99	-->"Toads of glory, slugs of joy," sang Groin the dwarf as he trotted jovially down the path before a great dragon ate him because the author knew that this story was a train wreck after he typed the first few words. — Alex Hall, Greeley, CO
100	* ''Literature/PrincessesOfThePizzaParlor'': In ''Grandmothers and Other Fearsome Encounters'': {{Epiphora}} of how "dangerous" the {{Magic Misfire}}s from non-standard spell enhancement can be, and mesodiplosis of the shared topic of "spells", and also "is", because an "also" is added for emphasis of the danger:
101	--> '''Uncle:''' Piling up spells like that is dangerous. Adding heroic effort to spells is also dangerous.
102	* ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'': The catchphrase of the group, in the original French, "Tous pour un, un pour tous", which "pour" Mesodiplosis as well as {{Anadiplosis}}.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Music]]
106	!!Artists:
107	* Music/{{Baroness}}: "A Horse Called Golgotha"
108	--> "Call '''the''' boy\
109	He's down '''the''' hallow\
110	Cull '''the''' tide\
111	Distill '''the''' rye"
112
113	* Music/BlackPink:
114	** "[[Music/TheAlbum Ice Cream]]": "like" Mesodiplosis, as part of {{Shout Out}}s to other movies, like ''Film/FreeWilly'', ''Music/BillieJean'' and ''Toys/HotWheels'':
115	---> "Get it free like Willy\
116	In the jeans like Billie\
117	You be poppin' like a wheelie"
118	** "[[Music/BornPink The Happiest Girl]]"
119	---> "The doors we slammed\
120	The plates we smashed"
121	* Music/TheFatRat: "Out Of The Rain": "we're not" is a contraction of "we are not", and it's used to show that both "you" and "we" still have something to hold on to:
122	-->''But you are not alone\
123	And we're not out of hope''
124	* Music/{{ITZY}}: The English version of "Wannabe": "be" to "I'm" to "wanna be":
125	--> "Won't pretend to be someone I'm not / Yeah I'll be staying true to myself (I wanna be me me me) / I won't change, I'm loving what I got / Cause I know I'm perfect just the way I am (I wanna be me me me) /I don't wanna be somebody / Just wanna be me, be me / I wanna be me me me"
126	* Music/JungKook: "3D".
127	--> "I can't touch you through the phone\
128	Or kiss you through the universe"
129	* Music/{{Ministry}}: "Hero":
130	--> "They get you ready to fight\
131	The fuse is ready to blow"
132	* Music/MyChemicalRomance:
133	** "[[Music/IBroughtYouMyBulletsYouBroughtMeYourLove Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us]]: 2 segments:
134	*** I'm:
135	----> "The amount of pills I'm taking\
136	Counteracts the booze I'm drinking\
137	And this vanity I'm breaking
138	*** "the" into "I'm":
139	----> Well, I'll choose the life I've taken\
140	Never mind the friends I'm making\
141	And the beauty that I'm faking"
142	** "[[Music/ThreeCheersForSweetRevenge Thank You for the Venom]]": "Give me"
143	---> "So give me all your poison, and give me all your pills\
144	And give me all your hopeless hearts and make me ill"
145	** "[[Music/TheBlackParade House of Wolves]]": Split as sentences instead of just comma-separation: "You better" {{Anaphora}} and "the [noun] 'cause they're never gonna [other noun]" Mesodiplosis:
146	---> "You better run like the devil, 'cause they're never gonna leave you alone\
147	You better hide up in the alley, 'cause they're never gonna find you a home"
148	** "[[Music/DangerDaysTheTrueLivesOfTheFabulousKilljoys Destroya]]":
149	---> "You don't believe in God, I don't believe in luck\
150	They don't believe in us, but I believe we're the enemy!"
151	* Music/NineInchNails:
152	** "[[Music/PrettyHateMachine Head Like A Hole]]": Joining up the topic of "You":
153	---> "Bow down before the one you serve. You're going to get what you deserve."
154	** "[[Music/WithTeeth The Hand That Feeds]]": Joining up the topic of "You", while also using some Will You {{Anaphora}}:
155	---> "Just how deep do you believe? Will you bite the hand that feeds? Will you chew until it bleeds? Can you get up off you knees? Are you brave enough to see? Do you want to change it?"
156	** "[[Music/YearZero Capital G]]": "Pushed a button and":
157	---> "I pushed a button and elected him to office and a\
158	He pushed a button and it dropped a bomb\
159	You pushed the button and could watch it on the television"
160	** "[[Music/HesitationMarks Came Back Haunted]]": The unknown "something":
161	---> "Now I've got something you have to see\
162	They put something inside of me"
163	* Music/StevenWilson:
164	** "Veneno Para Las Hadas"
165	---> "When you're young, you're sleepin'\
166	With the love you're feelin'"
167	** "[[Music/HandCannotErase Routine]]"
168	---> "Routine keeps me in line\
169	Helps me pass the time\
170	Helps me to sleep"
171	* Music/{{Twice}}: "What You Waiting For": "You" as a constant topic:
172	--> "When you think nothing's alright / If you cannot find the GO sign / Don't be afraid, you know you're where you're meant to be"
173	* Music/VictoriaJustice: "Tripped":
174	--> "Fall for your kiss\
175	Slipped on your lips"
176
177	!!Albums:
178	* ''Music/BlackHolesAndRevelations'': "Starlight": "And":
179	--> "Our hopes and expectations / Black holes and revelations"
180	* ''Music/BlackwaterPark'': "Bleak": "Still", to "Are" but 3/4 having "From the":
181	--> "Beating, Heart still beating for the cause\
182	Feeding, soul still feeding from the loss\
183	Aching, limbs are aching from the rush\
184	Fading, you are fading from my sight"
185	* ''Music/ChristmasEveAndOtherStories'': "Old City Bar":
186	--> "And the snow it was falling\
187	The neon was calling\
188	The music was low"
189	* ''Music/ScaryMonstersAndSuperCreeps'': "Ashes to Ashes":
190	-->''Ashes to ashes, funk to funky''
191
192	!!Songs
193	* ''Music/YouBelongWithMe'': Contrasting the protagonist and her love rival, one consecutive two-part phrase has the shared middle of "wear", although the first use is the grammatically correct "wears":
194	-->She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts
195	[[/folder]]
196
197	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
198	* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In [[Recap/FraggleRockS4E26TheHonkOfHonks "The Honk of Honks"]], Gobo notices that Doc can't see him. Cantus, when explaining to Gobo what he must do so that Doc will be able to see him, uses the word "touch" in the middle of three consecutive phrases.
199	-->'''Cantus:''' You must let the Silly Creature touch you, and you must touch him. Once touched, he will see, and so will you.
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
203	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': The FlavorText of [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=3744 "Squandered Resources"]], talking about a ChainOfDeals, with "for" every link in the chain.
204	-->He traded sand for skins, skins for gold, gold for life. In the end, he traded life for sand.
205	[[/folder]]
206
207	[[folder:Video Games]]
208	* From the beginning of ''VideoGame/TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus'', as part of an example of WellThisIsNotThatTrope, a list of a person's reputations are listed: "[Emotion] by [Group]":
209	-->Many moons ago in the Kingdom of Fredericus, there lived a champion dragon slayer. Beloved by the people, feared by outlaws, hated by dragons.
210	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'': "Audi Famam Illius" has its {{Epiphora}} lines "Spes omnibus, mihi quoque. / Terror omnibus, mihi quoque." as translated, ([[https://supersmashbros.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros._Brawl_Main_Theme#Literal_English_Translation possibly wrongly or with inaccuracies]], in the end game credits of The Subspace Emissary as this "by many -- I, too" Mesodiplosis and "him" {{Epiphora}}, talking about the song's subject's reputation:
211	-->Revered by many -- I, too, revere him\
212	Feared by many -- I, too, fear him
213	[[/folder]]
214
215	[[folder:Webcomics]]
216	* ''Webcomic/TheHandbookOfHeroes'': [[https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/the-handbook-of-heroes-03 "Bastard Sword"]]: The caption talking about a blood-seeking sword, vs. a murderous person wielding a regular sword, using "some" {{Anaphora}} and "are" Mesodiplosis to connect the comparisons:
217	--> Some swords are intelligent. Some adventurers are crazy. Learn to tell the difference.
218	[[/folder]]

Context Main / Mesodiplosis