What Is Antithesis?
Antithesis is a figure of speech in which contrasting ideas or words are placed in close proximity to one another to create a balanced effect. It is often used to highlight the contrast between two ideas or to create a sense of tension. Examples of antithesis include phrases such as “love and hate,” “black and white,” and “rich and poor.” In literature, antithesis is often used to create a sense of tension or conflict, and to demonstrate the complexity of characters or themes.
What Differentiates an Antithesis from an Oxymoron?
| Antithesis | Oxymoron |
| Antithesis is a figure of speech that places two completely contrasting ideas or clauses in juxtaposition. | An oxymoron is a figure of speech that contains two opposing or contrasting words placed adjacent to each other within a phrase to produce an effect. |
| For example: Art is long, and Time is fleeting. | For example: Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! |
Examples of Antithesis
Some examples of antithesis include:
- To be or not to be, that is the question. (Hamlet, by William Shakespeare)
- Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. (John F. Kennedy)
- I must be cruel, only to be kind. (Hamlet, by William Shakespeare)
- Man proposes, God disposes.
- It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. (A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens)
- I burn, I pine, I perish.
- Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
- I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
