Description on Oxymorons & Paradoxes

An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired to make a point—particularly to reveal a more profound or hidden truth. The most recognizable oxymorons are adjective-noun pairs, as in the phrase “proud humility.” But oxymorons can also occur throughout a clause or sentence, as in “That silence after your joke was deafening.” In both examples, the oxymoron joins opposite ideas to make a point (such as that an awkward silence can have a presence comparable to a loud sound). The word “oxymoron” is itself an oxymoron. It comes from the Greek phrase oskús, sharp or keen, and morōs, meaning dull or foolish. If you’re referring to oxymorons in the plural, both oxymorons and oxymora are correct. Oxymorons are now more common in print than oxymora, but you’ll find the latter listed in most dictionaries. The words in an oxymoron don’t need to be glued together, as in “heavy lightness” or “serious vanity.” They can be spaced out, as in, “His honour rooted in dishonour stood,” a line from Tennyson’s “Lancelot and Elaine.” The correct pronunciation for oxymoron is ahk-see-mor-on. Oxymoron is often confused with related terms, such as a “paradox.” Today, many people use the term “oxymoron” as a synonym for any expression whose components contradict one another, even contradictions that are unintentional or come up in casual conversation (also called a “contradiction in terms”). However, an oxymoron is more specific than a contradiction in terms: it must be crafted intentionally to suggest that two contradictory ideas go together because their unlikely combination reveals a more profound truth. For example, someone might (wrongly) call the phrase “business ethics” an oxymoron to claim that business is always unethical. However, while it’s possible to argue that “business ethics” is a contradiction in terms, the phrase is not an oxymoron. The beauty of an oxymoron is that it deliberately combines two words or ideas that contradict one another, not simply to point out how those ideas don’t fit but to show that a contradiction makes sense or reveals a deeper meaning. To sum up, an oxymoron is not simply a contradiction in terms. A true oxymoron must be deliberately crafted in advance to create a rhetorical effect or reveal a deeper symbolic meaning.

 

 

A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde’s famous declaration, “Life is much too important to be taken seriously,” is a paradox. At first, it seems contradictory because essential things must be taken seriously. Still, Wilde’s paradoxical suggestion is that the more important something is, the more critical it is not to take it seriously. People often use the word paradox to express their astonishment at something unexpected or enigmatic, but this is a misuse. In the study of logic, paradoxes have a slightly different meaning than the one we cover in this entry. Logical paradoxes are statements that do contradict themselves and are therefore unresolvable. The word paradox comes from the Greek “paradoxos,” meaning contrary to expectation or strange. The unique ability of the figure of speech called paradox—to simultaneously seem self-contradictory and yet also reveal unexpected meaning—often depends on words that can be interpreted in more than one way. For instance, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, when Hamlet tells his mother, “I must be cruel, only to be kind,” he’s using a paradox to express his behaviour. At the same time, it may appear to be cruel, is a form of kindness—but that’s only if you interpret kindness to include harsh actions that may be better for everyone in the long run (Hamlet also turns out to be wrong since, by the end of the play, pretty much everyone is dead). A literary paradox is distinct from a logical paradox, in which the meaning of a statement is contradictory in a way that cannot be resolved into sense-making. Here are the differences between literary and logical paradoxes in more detail. The classic example of a logical paradox is the statement, “This statement is false.” The statement is logically impossible to resolve:​​​​​​ if the statement is true, then it is false; and if the statement is false, then it is true. Put more broadly: rather than figurative language, construct a new and unexpected meaning (as in literary paradox). Logical paradox uses nonsensical vocabulary to create the appearance of importance, which upon further review is revealed as hopelessly contradictory and lacking. A literary paradox is easily confused with an oxymoron. They are both different, though, because an oxymoron is a specific type of paradox that boils its contradiction down to just a few words. The most recognizable oxymorons are two-word pairs, such as “sweet sorrow,” but they can also extend across a phrase. While an oxymoron is usually made up of just two words, a paradox can be expressed in many different ways as a concept or a description of a situation. A clear example is in Romeo and Juliet. Juliet tells Romeo that “parting is such sweet sorrow,” the oxymoron “sweet sorrow” suggests a more profound paradox: Juliet’s pain at parting with Romeo even for a night is cause for joy since it testifies to the strength of their love. However, this paradox could also be expressed without using the poetic oxymoron. For instance, if Juliet were to say something like “my sorrow makes me happy.” Overall, paradoxes appear in all sorts of writing, from literature to speeches, to song lyrics.

 

 

Work Cited:

Angela Farrer. “What Is the Role of Paradox in Poetry?” Language Humanities, 14 June 2022, https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-is-the-role-of-paradox-in-poetry.htm.

KidsKonnect. “Paradox Examples and Worksheets.” KidsKonnect, 19 June 2021, https://kidskonnect.com/language/paradox/.

Literary Devices. “Paradox.” Literary Devices, 28 Jan. 2022, https://literarydevices.net/paradox/.

MasterClass. “What Is a Paradox in Writing? Learn About the Differences Between Literary Paradox and Logical Paradox With Examples.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 30 Sept. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-paradox-in-writing-learn-about-the-differences-between-literary-paradox-and-logical-paradox-with-examples#quiz-0.

Merriam-Webster. “Paradox Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, July 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradox#:~:text=Definition%20of%20paradox,that%20at%20first%20seems%20true.

Poem Analysis. “Paradox.” Poem Analysis, Mar. 2022, https://poemanalysis.com/literary-device/paradox/.

PoetrySoup. “Famous Paradox Poems by Famous Poets.” PoetrySoup, Jan. 2022, https://www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poems/paradox.

Powtoon. “Powtoon Workspace.” Powtoon, Jan. 2022, https://powtoon.com/.

VanBuren, Jennifer. “Examples of Paradoxes in Poetry.” Seattlepi, 21 Nov. 2017, https://education.seattlepi.com/examples-paradoxes-poetry-5282.html.

 

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