183. IDC-101 Antithesis
Antithesis is a rhetorical device that involves contrasting words or ideas in a balanced structure. It creates a vivid and effective expression through the juxtaposition of contrasting elements. Here are some examples:
1. Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
- Here, the contrast between "speech" and "silence" highlights the value of each.
2. To err is human; to forgive, divine.
- This example contrasts the human act of making mistakes with the divine quality of forgiveness.
3. Many are called, but few are chosen.
- This phrase contrasts the larger group that is "called" with the select few who are "chosen."
4. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
- Charles Dickens uses antithesis to depict the contradictory nature of the time period in "A Tale of Two Cities."
5. Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.
- In this example, the idealized concept of love is contrasted with the practical reality of marriage.
Antithesis is a powerful tool in literature and rhetoric, emphasizing the stark differences between two ideas or concepts for rhetorical effect.