Literary devices

Literary devices Paradox, Juxtaposition, Parallelism

Paradox • A paradox is a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. • It often contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true at the same time, creating a self-contradicting statement.

For Example… • If someone says to you "I'm a compulsive liar," do you believe them or not? That statement in itself is a paradox, because it is self contradictory, which is precisely what a paradox is. • Nobody goes to that restaurant because it is too crowded. • Deep down, you’re really shallow.

Juxtaposition • Juxtaposition is a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions etc. are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.

For Example… • If a waiter served you a whole fish and a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the same plate, your surprise might be caused by the juxtaposition, or the side-by-side contrast, of the two foods. • A funeral mourner telling jokes graveside, the juxtaposition in this case is between grief and humor.

PARALLELISM • Refers to using elements in sentences that are grammatically similar or identical in structure, sound, meaning, or meter. This technique adds symmetry, effectiveness and balance to the written piece.

For example… • This is not only just what I wanted, but also just what I needed. • The escaped criminal was wanted dead or alive. • What goes around comes around.

Literary devices