The Power of Threes
Using Parallel Structure
One of the things that makes the "Gettysburg Address" and the "I Have a Dream" speeches so powerful is the way Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. use language. One of the devices that they use is making three statements in a row. For example, Lincoln says, "We cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow..." and "of the people, by the people, for the people." This is known as parallel structure.
Another reason why their speeches were so powerful was because they felt very strongly about and knew their subjects well. Try your hand at writing a poem using the parallel structure of threes. Be sure to select a subject that you know well and develop three adjectives to describe several aspects of the subject.

Winter

Snow that is fluffy, white, and pure.
Wind that is icy, sharp, and biting.
Trees that are gray, bare, and brittle.
Clothes that are heavy, warm and bulky.
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