cycle or circle

evangaline · Jun 12, 2011

Hope I'm posting this in the right place! I'm usually not this obtuse, but if someone could help, I'd be very grateful.

In this example, "How far he’d come, how far he’d fallen and how the cycle completes the circle," is it correct to say that the cycle completes the circle or should the circle complete the cycle, or is the phrase simply redundant?

Thanks so much for this great forum!

Bufty · Jun 12, 2011

Out of context, it's not clear to me what you/he/the character is trying to say.

You may have an odd phrase sprung into and stuck in your head- 'completes the circle' - and trying to shoehorn it in where it perhaps doesn't belong.

We talk of events having come 'full circle'.

Anywhere near?

Arkie · Jun 12, 2011

To me, cycle and circle mean two different things. Cycle relates to time, such as "5-year budget cycle, and of course it can be an abbreviation for bicycle, motor bike, etc.; whereas, circle relates to a shape such as ring or race track. You can write "coming full circle," which is an overused cliche, but I've never read of coming full cycle.

Fallen · Jun 12, 2011

What you're saying feels a little tautology to me. You're using two different words to explain the same thing.

I've heard of 'break the cycle', or 'it's come full circle' but I've not heard of both being mixed together. 'Cycle' means pretty much the same as 'circle': they give the impression of something (eg abuse) being continuous (like a wheel). But I'm English and I'm not sure where you're from. It may well be that you do mix phrases like that. I just know we don't this end of fishbowl.

evangaline · Jun 12, 2011

Wow! Thanks, guys, for the quick assistance! Here's the sentence. I make no claims as to the quality of the writing, btw, so please don't judge too harshly!

"Whenever he stopped at a street lamp, he shivered, goosebumps rising on his flesh at the intense flashback. With a rueful shake of his head, he couldn’t help but wonder how far he’d come, how far he’d fallen and how the cycle (circle) completes the circle (cycle)."

Again, thanks so much!

Susan Coffin · Jun 12, 2011

Evangaline,

Welcome!

Even in the latter context you provided, your sentence does not make sense to me. I don't know what you mean by a "cycle completing a circle," or vice versa. You also have three how's in the sentence, which make it more confusing to me. Maybe you are trying too hard? Or maybe I just don't get it.

Things come full circle, which sounds like the gist of what you are trying to get at.

Why not just show his plight via his introspection and then add that had come full circle?

blacbird · Jun 12, 2011

The example, which isn't even a complete sentence, screams for a rewrite.

This is another good example of a posing question about meaning, which answers itself: If the thing in question bothers you, as a writer, it is certain to bother readers, and therefore just needs redone in a clearer fashion.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 12, 2011

I don't think the sentence makes any sense, either. Though it is a complete sentence. Just not a good use of the words cycle and circle.

Bufty · Jun 12, 2011

Having seen the sentence I agree it makes no sense as is.

Were it my sentence I would forget circle and cycle and try to clarify what meaning I was trying to convey via the sentence.

blacbird · Jun 12, 2011

Looking at it again, another issue seems to add to the confusion: You seem to be contrasting "come" and "fallen", which is at best imprecise and vague. The antonym of "fallen" would be "risen", which makes a little more sense.

bonitakale · Jun 16, 2011

"wonder AT how far he'd come and how far he'd fallen. Would he rise again to complete the circle?"

AudreyInDC · Jun 22, 2011

I would just ditch the cycle and the circle both:

"Whenever he stopped at a street lamp, he shivered, goosebumps rising on his flesh at the intense flashback. With a rueful shake of his head, he couldn’t help but wonder how far he’d come, how far he’d fallen, and when he would come full circle/where it would all end."

cycle or circle

evangaline

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Arkie

a reader's ear and a writer's heart

Fallen

Stood at the coalface

evangaline

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is

blacbird

Jamesaritchie

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

blacbird

bonitakale

AudreyInDC

New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin