acrostic

An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichis, from ákros, "top", and stíchos, "verse") is a poem or other form of writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous acrostic was made in Greek for the acclamation JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, SAVIOUR which in Greek is: Iesous CHristos, THeou Yios, Soter (Ιησούς Χριστός, Θεού Υιός, Σωτήρ), ch and th being each one letter in Greek. The initials spell ICHTHYS (ΙΧΘΥΣ), Greek for fish – hence the frequent use of the fish as a symbol for Jesus Christ from the early days of Christianity to the present time.^[1]

Overview

Acrostics may simply spell out the letters of the alphabet in order. These acrostics occur in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Proverbs 31, 10-31, and in Psalms 9,10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145 of the Hebrew Bible^[2]. Notable among the acrostic Psalms are the long Psalm 119, which typically is printed in subsections named after the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each of which is featured in that section; and Psalm 145, which is recited three times a day in the Jewish services.

The ease of detectability of an acrostic can depend on the intention of its creator. In some cases an author may desire an acrostic to have a better chance of being perceived by an observant reader, such as the acrostic contained in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (where the key capital letters are decorated with ornate embellishments), or as in the poem To Doctor Empiric (by Ben Jonson) which is a verse outlined after the word W-O-L-F giving emphasis to, and capitalizing the key letters so such acrostic is relatively easier to discern.^[3] However, acrostics may also be used as a form of steganography, where the author seeks to conceal the message rather than proclaim it. This might be achieved by making the key letters uniform in appearance with the surrounding text, or by aligning the words in such a way that the relationship between the key letters is less obvious. This is referred to as null ciphers in steganography, using the first letter of each word to form a hidden message in an otherwise innocuous text.^[4] Using letters to hide a message, as in acrostic ciphers, was popular during the Renaissance, and could employ various different methods of enciphering, such as selecting other letters than initials based on a repeating pattern (equidistant letter sequences), or even concealing the message by starting at the end of the text and working backwards.^[5]

Examples

The Dutch national anthem Het Wilhelmus^[6](The William) is an acrostic: the first letters of its fifteen stanzas spell WILLEM VAN NASSOV. This was one of the hereditary titles of William of Orange (William the Silent), who introduces himself in the poem to the Dutch people.

A classic example of acrostic poem in English written by Edgar Allan Poe is entitled simply An Acrostic^[7]:

Another example is from Lewis Carrol's "Through the Looking-Glass". The final chapter "A Boat, Beneath A Sunny Sky"^[8] is an acrostic of the real Alice's name: Alice Pleasance Liddell.

Here is another example where the initial letters spell out the months of the year, entitled A Calendar Acrostic:

In October 2009, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California employed an acrostic to convey a message to the members of the State Assembly that would have been unacceptable to express directly. In this case, the initial letters of the lines rather than sentences of the brief letter spelled the words "Fuck you". ^[9][10] Similar tactics were used in 2001 by Stephen Pollard to conceal the message "Fuck you, Desmond" in a Daily Express article.^[11]

Multiple acrostics

Acrostics can be more complex than just by making words from initials. A double acrostic, for example, may have words at the beginning and end of its lines, as this example, on the name of Stroud, by Paul Hansford -

This example can be considered a more complex form of acrostic. This classical poetry is entitled Behold, O God!^[12] written by William Browne published in 1815 in his book "Original Poems By William Browne." The poem has highlighted letters inside its verses such that when they are grouped together, printed as red letters in the manuscript, the letters depict three crosses and the topmost middle cross reads "INRI," in Latin means "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" translated as "Jesus of Nazareth King of Jews." The crosses contain verses from the New Testament. The left cross contains Luke 23:42 "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." The middle cross contains Matthew 27:46 "O God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The right cross contains Luke 23:39 "If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us."

Hebrew acrostics

There are some acrostics whose authenticities are disputed. For instance, the first Hebrew letter of each consecutive Hebrew name from Adam to the father of Abraham appears to form an acrostic that when translated in English reads: I WILL FORGIVE MY ENEMIES, HAVING COMPASSION, FORGIVING THOSE MADE FROM DUST A SECOND TIME.^[13] However, it is debatable whether this acrostic is the result of random chance or by design.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acrostics

• Acronym and initialism
• Backronym
• Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor
• Mesostic
• O Antiphons
• Word square

References

External links

• An unflattering gravestone acrostic poem in a Montreal cemetery
• Acrostic epitaph of Gustavus Conyngham
• California's governor Arnold Schwarzeneggers reply to Assembly Bill 1176