print email comment close chiasmus.com URL: http://www.drmardy.com/chiasmus/welcome.shtml Description: This site discusses the use of chiasmus (ky-AZ-mus), a literary device defined as "a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases." John F. Kennedy's famous "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" is one of the many quotes used to illustrate the various types of chiastic phrasing. Author: Grothe, Mardy Library of Congress Subject Headings: Chiasmus Figures of speech Literary style LII Database Information: Record 13788 created by Martha Gifford on 04/03/2002 Last modification on 03/11/2009 Published: 04/03/2002   Funding agency: California State Library LII Item ID: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/13788