"Device: Tricolon Origin: From the Greek τρία (tria), meaning “three” and κῶλον (kôlon), meaning “member” or “clause”. In plain English: A series of three words, phrases or sentences that are parallel in structure, length and/or rhythm. Effect: Three words, phrases or sentences combine to make a single, powerful impression. A tricolon allows you to emphasize your point in a pithy and memorable way. A tricolon is a powerful device for humour. The first two elements get the audience thinking you are going in one direction, but the third element introduces an unexpected twist. Just think of any joke that begins, “Three ___ walk into a bar …”. See, also, the quotes from Dorothy Parker and Johnny Depp at the end of the post. Notes: Tricolons are one of the most powerful rhetorical devices. There is something almost magical about the number three. In his book, Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, Roy Peter Clark writes: “[T]hree provides a sense of the whole … the number three is greater than four. The mojo of three offers a greater sense of completeness than four or more. … Use one for power. Two for comparison, contrast. Three for completeness, wholeness, roundness.” A tricolon that is only three successive words is also known as a hendiatris. Examples include: Veni, vidi, vici.; Citius, Altius, Fortius; and Wine, Women and Song. The elements of a tricolon need not always be the exact same length. In fact, as Mark Forsyth has noted, tricolons sound especially good when the third element is longer than the preceding two; for example, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." https://mannerofspeaking.org/2015/03/16/rhetorical-devices-tricolon/
Thanks to @Galaxy_0815_X for the original project. I made it display three snakes instead of one so u can do some more satisfying flopping about with rotational symmetry.
