10 examples of antithesis

Definition of Antithesis

Antithesis is a literary device that refers to the juxtaposition of two opposing elements through the parallel grammatical structure. The word antithesis, meaning absolute opposite, is derived from Greek for “ setting opposite,” indicating when something or someone is in direct contrast or the obverse of another thing or person.

Antithesis is an effective literary and rhetorical device , as it pairs exact opposite or contrasting ideas by utilizing the parallel grammatical structure. This helps readers and audience members define concepts through contrast and develop an understanding of something through defining its opposite. In addition, through the use of parallelism , antithesis establishes a repetitive structure that makes for rhythmic writing and lyrical speech.

For example, Alexander Pope states in  An Essay on Criticism , “ To err is human ; to forgive divine.” Pope’s use of antithesis reflects the impact of this figure of speech in writing, as it creates a clear, memorable, and lyrical effect for the reader. In addition, Pope sets human error in contrast to divine forgiveness, allowing readers to understand that it is natural for people to make mistakes, and therefore worthy for others to absolve them when they do.

Examples of Antithesis in Everyday Speech

Antithesis is often used in everyday speech as a means of conveying opposing ideas in a concise and expressive way. Since antithesis is intended to be a figure of speech, such statements are not meant to be understood in a literal manner. Here are some examples of antithesis used in everyday speech:

• Go big or go home.
• Spicy food is heaven on the tongue but hell in the tummy.
• Those who can, do; those who can’t do, teach.
• Get busy living or get busy dying.
• Speech is silver but silence is gold.
• No pain, no gain.
• It’s not a show, friends; it’s show business.
• No guts, no glory.
• A moment on the lips; a lifetime on the hips.
• If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.

Common Examples of Antithesis from Famous Speeches

Antithesis can be an effective rhetorical device in terms of calling attention to drastic differences between opposing ideas and concepts. By highlighting the contrast side-by-side with the exact same structure, the speaker is able to impact an audience in a memorable and significant way. Here are some common examples of antithesis from famous speeches:

• “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character .” (Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream”)
• “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” (Abraham Lincoln “The Gettysburg Address”)
• “‘Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.'” (Edward Kennedy quoting Robert F. Kennedy during eulogy )
• “We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom, symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, signifying renewal as well as change.” (John F. Kennedy “Presidential Inaugural Speech”)
• “You see, for any champion to succeed, he must have a team — a very incredible, special team; people that he can depend on, count on, and rely upon through everything — the highs and lows, the wins and losses, the victories and failures, and even the joys and heartaches that happen both on and off the court.” (Michael Chang “ Induction Speech for Tennis Hall of Fame”)

Examples of Proverbs Featuring Antithesis

Proverbs are simple and often traditional sayings that express insight into truths that are perceived, based on common sense or experience. These sayings are typically intended to be metaphorical and therefore rely on figures of speech such as antithesis. Proverbs that utilize antithetical parallelism feature an antithesis to bring together opposing ideas in defined contrast. Therefore, antithesis is effective as a literary device in proverbs by allowing the reader to consider one idea and then it’s opposite. It also makes for lyrical and easily remembered sayings.

Here are some examples of proverbs featuring antithesis:

• Cleanliness is next to godliness.
• Beggars can’t be choosers.
• Easy come, easy go.
• Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
• Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.
• Like father, like son.
• Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
• An ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.
• Be slow in choosing, but slower in changing.
• Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.
• If you can’t beat them, join them.
• Keep your mouth closed and your eyes open.
• One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
• Out of sight, out of mind.
• Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Utilizing Antithesis in Writing

As a literary device, antithesis allows authors to add contrast to their writing. This is effective in terms of comparing two contrasting ideas, such as a character’s conflicting emotions or a setting’s opposing elements. In literature, antithesis doesn’t require a pairing of exact opposites, but rather concepts that are different and distinct. In addition, since antithesis creates a lyrical quality to writing through parallel structure , the rhythm of phrasing and wording should be as similar as possible. Like most literary and rhetorical devices, overuse of antithesis will create confusion or invoke boredom in a reader as well as make the writing seem forced.

Antithesis and Parallelism

Both terms demonstrate a fundamental difference. An antithesis comprises two contradictory ideas and parallelism does not necessarily comprise opposite ideas or persons. It could have more than two ideas or persons. As the name suggests that parallelism is a condition where is an antithesis is an opposition. For example, man proposes, God disposes, has two contradictory ideas. However, it is also a parallel sentence . Furthermore, parallelism occurs mostly in structure and less in ideas. Even similar ideas could occur in parallelism, while an antithesis has only dissimilar ideas.

Antithesis and Juxtaposition

As far as juxtaposition is concerned, it means placing two ideas together that are dissimilar. They need not be opposite to each other. In the case of antithesis, they must be opposite to each other as in the case of man proposes, God disposes. Not only these two ideas are dissimilar, but also they are opposite. In the case of juxtaposition, a poet only puts two ideas together and they are not opposed to each other.

Use of Antithesis in Sentences  

• As soon he dies, he becomes a dead living.
• Most people do not understand the value of money when the poor put money ahead of them.
• Some people make money, while some waste it.
• Although they have gone leaps ahead, they have also stepped back just in the nick of time.
• The public comes forward when there is prosperity and moves back when there is adversity.

Examples of Antithesis in Literature

Antithesis is an effective literary device and figure of speech in which a writer intentionally juxtaposes two contrasting ideas or entities. Antithesis is typically achieved through parallel structure, in which opposing concepts or elements are paired in adjacent phrases , clauses , or sentences. This draws the reader’s attention to the significance or importance of the agents being contrasted, thereby adding a memorable and meaningful quality to the literary work.

Here are some examples of antithesis in well-known works of literature:

Example 1:  Hamlet (William Shakespeare)

Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice ; Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.

In Shakespeare’s well-known play , he utilizes antithesis as a literary device for Polonius to deliver fatherly advice to his son before Laertes leaves for France. In these lines, Polonius pairs contrasting ideas such as listening and speaking using parallel structure. This adds a lyrical element to the wording, in addition to having a memorable and foreboding impact on the characters and audience members with the meaning of each line.

Despite the attempt by Polonius to impart logical thinking, measured response, and wise counsel to his son through antithesis, Laertes becomes so fixated on avenging his father’s death that his actions are impulsive and imprudent. Polonius’s antithetical words are not heeded by his son, resulting in the death of several characters including Hamlet and Laertes himself.

Example 2:  Paradise Lost  (John Milton)

Here at least We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.

In Milton’s epic poem , he explores the Fall of Satan as well as the temptation and subsequent Fall of Man. This passage is spoken by Satan after he has been condemned to Hell by God for attempting to assume power and authority in Heaven. Satan is unrepentant of his actions, and wants to persuade his followers that Hell is preferable to Heaven.

Satan utilizes antithesis in the last line of this passage to encourage his rebellious followers to understand that, in Hell, they are free and rule their own destiny. In this line, Milton contrasts not just the ideas of Hell and Heaven, but also of reign and servitude as concepts applied to the angels , respectively. Pairing these opposites by using this literary device has two effects for the reader. First, Satan’s claim foreshadows his ability to use his words describing independence to tempt Eve, resulting in her and Adam’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Second, this antithesis invites the reader to consider Satan’s thought-process and experience to gain a deeper understanding of his motives in the poem.

Example 3:  Fire and Ice  (Robert Frost)

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.

In his poem, Frost utilizes antithesis to contrast fire and ice as elements with devastating and catastrophic potential to end the world. Frost effectively demonstrates the equal powers for the destruction of these elements, despite showcasing them as opposing forces. In this case, the poet’s antithesis has a literal as well as figurative interpretation. As the poem indicates, the world could literally end in the fire as well as ice. However, fire and ice are contrasting symbols in the poem as well. Fire represents “desire,” most likely in the form of greed, the corruption of power, domination, and control. Conversely, ice represents “hate” in the form of prejudice, oppression, neglect, and isolation.

The presence of antithesis in the poem is effective for readers in that it evokes contrasting and powerful imagery of fire and ice as opposing yet physically destructive forces. In addition, the human characteristics associated with fire and ice, and what they represent as psychologically and socially destructive symbols, impact the reader in a powerful and memorable way as well. Antithesis elevates for the reader the understanding that the source of the end of the world may not be natural causes but rather human action or behavior; and that the end of the world may not be simply the destruction of the earth, but rather the destruction of humankind.

Example 4: The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives so that nation might live.

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

These three examples from the address of Abraham Lincoln show the use of contradictory ideas put together in one sentence. They show how he mentions living and dead putting them side by side. This antithesis has helped Lincoln as well as America to come out of the ravages of the Civil War.

Function of Antithesis

An antithesis helps make an idea distinct and prominent when it contradicts another idea in the first part of the argument . This contrastive feature helps make readers make their argument solid, cogent, and eloquent. Sentences comprising anthesis also become easy to remember, quote, and recall when required. When an antithesis occurs in a text, it creates an argumentative atmosphere where a dialectic could take place and helps writers and speakers hook their audience easily with antithetical statements.

Synonyms of Antithesis

Antithesis has no exact synonyms but several words come closer in meanings such as opposite, reverse, converse, reversal, inverse, extreme, another side of the coin, or flip side or contrast.

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Antithesis Definition

What is antithesis? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Antithesis is a figure of speech that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas, usually within parallel grammatical structures. For instance, Neil Armstrong used antithesis when he stepped onto the surface of the moon in 1969 and said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." This is an example of antithesis because the two halves of the sentence mirror each other in grammatical structure, while together the two halves emphasize the incredible contrast between the individual experience of taking an ordinary step, and the extraordinary progress that Armstrong's step symbolized for the human race.

Some additional key details about antithesis:

• Antithesis works best when it is used in conjunction with parallelism (successive phrases that use the same grammatical structure), since the repetition of structure makes the contrast of the content of the phrases as clear as possible.
• The word "antithesis" has another meaning, which is to describe something as being the opposite of another thing. For example, "love is the antithesis of selfishness." This guide focuses only on antithesis as a literary device.
• The word antithesis has its origins in the Greek word antithenai , meaning "to oppose." The plural of antithesis is antitheses.

How to Pronounce Antithesis

Here's how to pronounce antithesis: an- tith -uh-sis

Antithesis and Parallelism

Often, but not always, antithesis works in tandem with parallelism . In parallelism, two components of a sentence (or pair of sentences) mirror one another by repeating grammatical elements. The following is a good example of both antithesis and parallelism:

To err is human , to forgive divine .

The two clauses of the sentence are parallel because each starts off with an infinitive verb and ends with an adjective ("human" and "divine"). The mirroring of these elements then works to emphasize the contrast in their content, particularly in the very strong opposite contrast between "human" and "divine."

Antithesis Without Parallelism

In most cases, antitheses involve parallel elements of the sentence—whether a pair of nouns, verbs, adjectives, or other grammar elements. However, it is also possible to have antithesis without such clear cut parallelism. In the Temptations Song "My Girl," the singer uses antithesis when he says:

"When it's cold outside , I've got the month of May ."

Here the sentence is clearly cut into two clauses on either side of the comma, and the contrasting elements are clear enough. However, strictly speaking there isn't true parallelism here because "cold outside" and "month of May" are different types of grammatical structures (an adjective phrase and a noun phrase, respectively).

Antithesis vs. Related Terms

Three literary terms that are often mistakenly used in the place of antithesis are juxtaposition , oxymoron , and foil . Each of these three terms does have to do with establishing a relationship of difference between two ideas or characters in a text, but beyond that there are significant differences between them.

Antithesis vs. Juxtaposition

In juxtaposition , two things or ideas are placed next to one another to draw attention to their differences or similarities. In juxtaposition, the pairing of two ideas is therefore not necessarily done to create a relationship of opposition or contradiction between them, as is the case with antithesis. So, while antithesis could be a type of juxtaposition, juxtaposition is not always antithesis.

Antithesis vs. Oxymoron

In an oxymoron , two seemingly contradictory words are placed together because their unlikely combination reveals a deeper truth. Some examples of oxymorons include:

• Sweet sorrow
• Cruel kindness
• Living dead

The focus of antithesis is opposites rather than contradictions . While the words involved in oxymorons seem like they don't belong together (until you give them deeper thought), the words or ideas of antithesis do feel like they belong together even as they contrast as opposites. Further, antitheses seldom function by placing the two words or ideas right next to one another, so antitheses are usually made up of more than two words (as in, "I'd rather be among the living than among the dead").

Antithesis vs. Foil

Some Internet sources use "antithesis" to describe an author's decision to create two characters in a story that are direct opposites of one another—for instance, the protagonist and antagonist . But the correct term for this kind of opposition is a foil : a person or thing in a work of literature that contrasts with another thing in order to call attention to its qualities. While the sentence "the hare was fast, and the tortoise was slow" is an example of antithesis, if we step back and look at the story as a whole, the better term to describe the relationship between the characters of the tortoise and the hare is "foil," as in, "The character of the hare is a foil of the tortoise."

Antithesis Examples

Antithesis in literature.

Below are examples of antithesis from some of English literature's most acclaimed writers — and a comic book!

Antithesis in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

In the famous opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens sets out a flowing list of antitheses punctuated by the repetition of the word "it was" at the beginning of each clause (which is itself an example of the figure of speech anaphora ). By building up this list of contrasts, Dickens sets the scene of the French Revolution that will serve as the setting of his tale by emphasizing the division and confusion of the era. The overwhelming accumulation of antitheses is also purposefully overdone; Dickens is using hyperbole to make fun of the "noisiest authorities" of the day and their exaggerated claims. The passage contains many examples of antithesis, each consisting of one pair of contrasting ideas that we've highlighted to make the structure clearer.

It was the best of times , it was the worst of times , it was the age of wisdom , it was the age of foolishness , it was the epoch of belief , it was the epoch of incredulity , it was the season of Light , it was the season of Darkness , it was the spring of hope , it was the winter of despair , we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven , we were all going direct the other way —in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Antithesis in John Milton's Paradise Lost

In this verse from Paradise Lost , Milton's anti-hero , Satan, claims he's happier as the king of Hell than he could ever have been as a servant in Heaven. He justifies his rebellion against God with this pithy phrase, and the antithesis drives home the double contrast between Hell and Heaven, and between ruling and serving.

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

Antithesis in William Shakespeare's Othello

As the plot of Othello nears its climax , the antagonist of the play, Iago, pauses for a moment to acknowledge the significance of what is about to happen. Iago uses antithesis to contrast the two opposite potential outcomes of his villainous plot: either events will transpire in Iago's favor and he will come out on top, or his treachery will be discovered, ruining him.

This is the night That either makes me or fordoes me quite .

In this passage, the simple word "either" functions as a cue for the reader to expect some form of parallelism, because the "either" signals that a contrast between two things is coming.

Antithesis in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Shakespeare's plays are full of antithesis, and so is Hamlet's most well-known "To be or not to be" soliloquy . This excerpt of the soliloquy is a good example of an antithesis that is not limited to a single word or short phrase. The first instance of antithesis here, where Hamlet announces the guiding question (" to be or not to be ") is followed by an elaboration of each idea ("to be" and "not to be") into metaphors that then form their own antithesis. Both instances of antithesis hinge on an " or " that divides the two contrasting options.

To be or not to be , that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them ...

Antithesis in T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets"

In this excerpt from his poem "Four Quartets," T.S. Eliot uses antithesis to describe the cycle of life, which is continuously passing from beginning to end, from rise to fall, and from old to new.

In my beginning is my end . In succession Houses rise and fall , crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass. Old stone to new building , old timber to new fires ...

Antithesis in Green Lantern's Oath

Comic book writers know the power of antithesis too! In this catchy oath, Green Lantern uses antithesis to emphasize that his mission to defeat evil will endure no matter the conditions.

In brightest day , in blackest night , No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power—Green lantern's light!

While most instances of antithesis are built around an "or" that signals the contrast between the two parts of the sentence, the Green Lantern oath works a bit differently. It's built around an implied "and" (to be technical, that first line of the oath is an asyndeton that replaces the "and" with a comma), because members of the Green Lantern corps are expressing their willingness to fight evil in all places, even very opposite environments.

Antithesis in Speeches

Many well-known speeches contain examples of antithesis. Speakers use antithesis to drive home the stakes of what they are saying, sometimes by contrasting two distinct visions of the future.

Antithesis in Patrick Henry's Speech to the Second Virginia Convention, 1775

This speech by famous American patriot Patrick Henry includes one of the most memorable and oft-quoted phrases from the era of the American Revolution. Here, Henry uses antithesis to emphasize just how highly he prizes liberty, and how deadly serious he is about his fight to achieve it.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take: but as for me, give me liberty or give me death .

Antithesis in Martin Luther King Jr.'s Oberlin Commencement Address

In this speech by one of America's most well-known orators, antithesis allows Martin Luther King Jr. to highlight the contrast between two visions of the future; in the first vision, humans rise above their differences to cooperate with one another, while in the other humanity is doomed by infighting and division.

We must all learn to live together as brothers —or we will all perish together as fools .

Antithesis in Songs

In songs, contrasting two opposite ideas using antithesis can heighten the dramatic tension of a difficult decision, or express the singer's intense emotion—but whatever the context, antithesis is a useful tool for songwriters mainly because opposites are always easy to remember, so lyrics that use antithesis tend to stick in the head.

Antithesis in "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash (1981)

In this song by The Clash, the speaker is caught at a crossroads between two choices, and antithesis serves as the perfect tool to express just how confused and conflicted he is. The rhetorical question —whether to stay or to go—presents two opposing options, and the contrast between his lover's mood from one day (when everything is "fine") to the next (when it's all "black") explains the difficulty of his choice.

One day it's fine and next it's black So if you want me off your back Well, come on and let me know Should I stay or should I go ? Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble If I stay it will be double ...

Antithesis in "My Girl" by the Temptations (1965)

In this song, the singer uses a pair of metaphors to describe the feeling of joy that his lover brings him. This joy is expressed through antithesis, since the singer uses the miserable weather of a cloudy, cold day as the setting for the sunshine-filled month of May that "his girl" makes him feel inside, emphasizing the power of his emotions by contrasting them with the bleak weather.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside I've got the month of May Well I guess you'd say, What can make me feel this way? My girl, my girl, my girl Talkin' bout my girl.

Why Do Writers Use Antithesis?

Fundamentally, writers of all types use antithesis for its ability to create a clear contrast. This contrast can serve a number of purposes, as shown in the examples above. It can:

• Present a stark choice between two alternatives.
• Convey magnitude or range (i.e. "in brightest day, in darkest night" or "from the highest mountain, to the deepest valley").
• Express strong emotions.
• Create a relationship of opposition between two separate ideas.
• Accentuate the qualities and characteristics of one thing by placing it in opposition to another.

Whatever the case, antithesis almost always has the added benefit of making language more memorable to listeners and readers. The use of parallelism and other simple grammatical constructions like "either/or" help to establish opposition between concepts—and opposites have a way of sticking in the memory.

Other Helpful Antithesis Resources

• The Wikipedia page on Antithesis : A useful summary with associated examples, along with an extensive account of antithesis in the Gospel of Matthew.
• Sound bites from history : A list of examples of antithesis in famous political speeches from United States history — with audio clips!
• A blog post on antithesis : This quick rundown of antithesis focuses on a quote you may know from Muhammad Ali's philosophy of boxing: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of antithesis.

Antithesis is the use of contrasting concepts, words, or sentences within parallel grammatical structures. This combination of a balanced structure with opposite ideas serves to highlight the contrast between them. For example, the following famous Muhammad Ali quote is an example of antithesis: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” This is an antithesis example because there is the contrast between the animals and their actions (the peaceful floating butterfly versus the aggressive stinging bee) combined with the parallel grammatical structure of similes indicated by “like a.” Ali is indicating the contrasting skills necessary to be a good boxer.

Difference Between Antithesis and Juxtaposition

Antithesis is very similar to juxtaposition , as juxtaposition also sets two different things close to each other to emphasize the difference between them. However, juxtaposition does not necessarily deal with completely opposite ideas—sometimes the juxtaposition may be between two similar things so that the reader will notice the subtle differences. Juxtaposition also does not necessitate a parallel grammatical structure. The definition of antithesis requires this balanced grammatical structure.

Common Examples of Antithesis

The use of antithesis is very popular in speeches and common idioms, as the inherent contrasts often make antithesis quite memorable. Here are some examples of antithesis from famous speeches:

• “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” –John F. Kennedy Jr.
• “We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” –Barack Obama
• “Decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.” –Winston Churchill
• “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” –Abraham Lincoln

Significance of Antithesis in Literature

Antithesis can be a helpful tool for the author both to show a character’s mindset and to set up an argument . If the antithesis is something that the character is thinking, the audience can better understand the full scope of that character’s thoughts. While antithesis is not the most ubiquitous of literary devices , some authors use antithesis quite extensively, such as William Shakespeare. Many of his sonnets and plays include examples of antithesis.

Examples of Antithesis in Literature

HAMLET: To be, or not to be, that is the question— Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them?

( Hamlet by William Shakespeare)

Arguably the most famous six words in all of Shakespeare’s work are an example of antithesis. Hamlet considers the important question of “to be, or not to be.” In this line, he is considering the very nature of existence itself. Though the line is quite simple in form it contrasts these very important opposite states. Hamlet sets up his soliloquy with this antithesis and continues with others, including the contrast between suffering whatever fortune has to offer or opposing his troubles. This is a good example of Shakespeare using antithesis to present to the audience or readers Hamlet’s inner life and the range of his thinking.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…

( A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)

The opening paragraph of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities employs many different literary devices all at once. There are many examples of antithesis back-to-back, starting with the first contrast between “the best of times” and “the worst of times.” Each pair of contrasting opposites uses a parallel structure to emphasize their differences. Dickens uses these antithetical pairs to show what a tumultuous time it was during the setting of his book. In this case, the use of antithesis is a rhetorical device that foreshadows the conflicts that will be central to the novel.

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

( Catch-22 by Joseph Heller)

In Joseph Heller’s classic anti-war novel Catch-22 , Heller uses a specific type of humor in which antithetical statements show the true absurdity of war. This very famous quote explains the concept of the “Catch-22,” which became a popular idiomatic expression because of the book. In fact, this example is not so much an antithetical statement but instead an antithetical situation. That is to say, the two possible outcomes for Orr are opposite: either he’s deemed crazy and would thus not be forced to fly any more combat missions, or he’s sane and then would indeed have to fly them. However, the one situation negates the possibility of the other, as only a sane man would be clear-headed enough to ask not to fly more missions.

This case is not a difficult one, it requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant.

( To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird , Atticus Finch is a lawyer representing Tom Robinson. Atticus presents the above statement to the jury, setting up an antithesis. He asserts that the case is not difficult and yet requires the jury to be absolutely sure of their decision. Atticus believes the case to have a very obvious conclusion, and hopes that the jury will agree with him, but he is also aware of the societal tensions at work that will complicate the case.

Test Your Knowledge of Antithesis

1. What is the correct antithesis definition? A. Using two very similar concepts and showing their subtle differences. B. Setting up a contrast between two opposite ideas or phrases in a balanced grammatical structure. C. Using words to convey an opposite meaning to their literal sense.

2. What is the difference between antithesis and juxtaposition? A. They are exactly the same device. B. They are completely different literary devices. C. Antithesis parallels opposite concepts, while juxtaposition sets up a comparison and contrast between two concepts that can be either similar or different.

3. Which of the following quotes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth contains an example of antithesis? A. 

WITCHES: Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.

MACBETH: Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?

WITCHES: Something wicked this way comes.

4. Which of the following quotes from Heller’s Catch-22 contains an example of antithesis? A. There are now fifty or sixty countries fighting in this war. Surely so many counties can’t all be worth dying for. B. He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive. C. You’re inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age?

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• How to Use Antithesis

I. What is an Antithesis?

“Antithesis” literally means “opposite” – it is usually the opposite of a statement, concept, or idea. In literary analysis, an antithesis is a pair of statements or images in which the one reverses the other. The pair is written with similar grammatical structures to show more contrast. Antithesis (pronounced an-TITH-eh-sis) is used to emphasize a concept, idea, or conclusion.

II. Examples of Antithesis

That’s one small step for a man – one giant leap for mankind .  (Neil Armstrong, 1969)

In this example, Armstrong is referring to man walking on the moon. Although taking a step is an ordinary activity for most people, taking a step on the moon, in outer space, is a major achievement for all humanity.

To err is human ; to forgive , divine . (Alexander Pope)

This example is used to point out that humans possess both worldly and godly qualities; they can all make mistakes, but they also have the power to free others from blame.

The world will little note , nor long remember , what we say here, but it can never forget what they did  (Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address )

In his speech, Lincoln points out that the details of that moment may not be memorable, but the actions would make history, and therefore, never entirely forgotten.

Antithesis can be a little tricky to see at first. To start, notice how each of these examples is separated into two parts . The parts are separated either by a dash, a semicolon, or the word “but.” Antithesis always has this multi-part structure (usually there are two parts, but sometimes it can be more, as we’ll see in later examples). The parts are not always as obvious as they are in these examples, but they will always be there.

Next, notice how the second part of each example contains terms that reverse or invert terms in the first part: small step vs. giant leap; human vs. divine; we say vs. they do. In each of the examples, there are several pairs of contrasted terms between the first part and the second, which is quite common in antithesis.

Finally, notice that each of the examples contains some parallel structures and ideas in addition to the opposites. This is key! The two parts are not simply contradictory statements. They are a matched pair that have many grammatical structures or concepts in common; in the details, however, they are opposites.

For example, look at the parallel grammar of Example 1: the word “one,” followed by an adjective, a noun, and then the word “for.” This accentuates the opposites by setting them against a backdrop of sameness – in other words, two very different ideas are being expressed with very, very similar grammatical structures.

To recap: antithesis has three things:

• Two or more parts
• Reversed or inverted ideas
• (usually) parallel grammatical structure

III. The Importance of Verisimilitude

Antithesis is basically a complex form of juxtaposition . So its effects are fairly similar – by contrasting one thing against its opposite, a writer or speaker can emphasize the key attributes of whatever they’re talking about. In the Neil Armstrong quote, for example, the tremendous significance of the first step on the moon is made more vivid by contrasting it with the smallness and ordinariness of the motion that brought it about.

Antithesis can also be used to express curious contradictions or paradoxes. Again, the Neil Armstrong quote is a good example: Armstrong is inviting his listeners to puzzle over the fact that a tiny, ordinary step – not so different from the millions of steps we take each day – can represent so massive a technological accomplishment as the moon landing.

Paradoxically, an antithesis can also be used to show how two seeming opposites might in fact be similar.

IV. Examples of Verisimilitude in Literature

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Forgive us this day our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us . (The Lord’s Prayer)

The antithesis is doing a lot of work here. First, it shows the parallel between committing an evil act and being the victim of one. On the surface, these are opposites, and this is part of the antithesis, but at the same time they are, in the end, the same act from different perspectives. This part of the antithesis is basically just an expression of the Golden Rule.

Second, the antithesis displays a parallel between the speaker (a human) and the one being spoken to (God). The prayer is a request for divine mercy, and at the same time a reminder that human beings should also be merciful.

All the joy the world contains has come through wanting happiness for others . All the misery the world contains has come through wanting pleasure for yourself . (Shantideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva )

The antithesis here comes with some pretty intense parallel structure. Most of the words in each sentence are exactly the same as those in the other sentence. (“All the ___ the world contains has come through wanting ____ for ____.”) This close parallel structure makes the antithesis all the more striking, since the words that differ become much more visible.

Another interesting feature of this antithesis is that it makes “pleasure” and “happiness” seem like opposites, when most of us might think of them as more or less synonymous. The quote makes happiness seem noble and exalted, whereas pleasure is portrayed as selfish and worthless.

The proper function of man is to live , not to exist . I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong  (Jack London, Credo )

The opening antithesis here gets its punch from the fact that we think of living and existing as pretty similar terms. But for London, they are opposites. Living is about having vivid experiences, learning, and being bold; simply existing is a dull, pointless thing. These two apparently similar words are used in this antithesis to emphasize the importance of living as opposed to mere existing.

The second antithesis, on the other hand, is just the opposite – in this case, London is taking two words that seem somewhat opposed (waste and prolong), and telling us that they are in fact the same . Prolonging something is making it last; wasting something is letting it run out too soon. But, says London, when it comes to life, they are the same. If you try too hard to prolong your days (that is, if you’re so worried about dying that you never face your fears and live your life), then you will end up wasting them because you will never do anything worthwhile.

V. Examples of Verisimilitude in Pop Culture

Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee. (Sara Lee pastry advertisement)

This classic ad uses antithesis to set up a deliberate grammatical error. This is a common technique in advertising, since people are more likely to remember a slogan that is grammatically incorrect. (Even if they only remember it because they found it irritating, it still sticks in their brain, which is all that an ad needs to do.) The antithesis helps make the meaning clear, and throws the grammatical error into sharper relief.

What men must know , a boy must learn . (The Lookouts)

Here’s another example of how parallel structure can turn into antithesis fairly easily. (The structure is noun-“must”-verb. ) The antithesis also expresses the basic narrative of The Lookouts , which is all about kids learning to fend for themselves and become full-fledged adults.

Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes (the band “AFI” – album title)

The antithesis here is a juxtaposition of two different actions (opening and shutting) that are actually part of the same sort of behavior – the behavior of somebody who wants to understand the world rather than be the center of attention. It’s basically a restatement of the old adage that “those who speak the most often have the least to say.”

VI. Related Terms

• Juxtaposition

Antithesis is basically a form of juxtaposition . Juxtaposition, though, is a much broader device that encompasses any deliberate use of contrast or contradiction by an author. So, in addition to antithesis, it might include:

• The scene in “The Godfather” where a series of brutal murders is intercut with shots of a baptism, juxtaposing birth and death.
• “A Song of Ice and Fire” (George R. R. Martin book series)
• Heaven and Hell
• Mountains and the sea
• Dead or alive
• “In sickness and in health”

Antithesis performs a very similar function, but does so in a more complicated way by using full sentences (rather than single words or images) to express the two halves of the juxtaposition.

Here is an antithesis built around some of the common expressions from above

• “ Sheep go to Heaven ; goats go to Hell .”
• “Beethoven’s music is as mighty as the mountains and as timeless as the sea .”
• “In sickness he loved me; in health he abandoned ”

Notice how the antithesis builds an entire statement around the much simpler juxtaposition. And, crucially, notice that each of those statements exhibits parallel grammatical structure . In this way, both Juxtaposition and parallel structures can be used to transform a simple comparison, into antithesis.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

What Is Antithesis, and How Do You Use It in Writing?

Antithesis is a  literary device that positions opposite ideas parallel to each other. Think heroes and villains, hot and cold, bitter and sweet. Antithesis enhances your  writing by illuminating differences and making your point more persuasive.

What is antithesis?

Antithesis (pronounced an-TITH-uh-sis) deals in opposites. The Merriam-Webster definition of antithesis is “the direct opposite,” and in Greek the meaning is “setting opposite.” As a tool for writing, antithesis creates a juxtaposition of qualities using a parallel grammatical structure. In other words, it’s setting opposites next to each other using the same terms or structure. This creates a stark contrast that highlights dramatic qualities and creates a rhythm that’s interesting to the reader. 

What is the function of antithesis?

The repetition of structure in antithesis makes writing more memorable, and its juxtapositions make writing more convincing. 

Take, for example, the opening lines of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities : “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . ” You’re probably familiar with this line even if the name Dr. Manette means nothing to you. Dickens took two contrasting qualities (best/worst) and linked them by using a parallel structure (it was . . . of times / it was . . . of times). The contrast is clear, and the sentiment is intriguing. The reader is hooked.

In rhetoric , antithesis calls attention to the differences between two options. For example, in a speech in Saint Louis in 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. said: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” King is obviously in favor of the former option: living together as brothers. He uses antithesis, placing opposite actions (live/perish) in a parallel structure (. . . together as brothers / . . . together as fools) to make his claim even more convincing.

How to use antithesis in writing

Contrast and parallel structure are the two most important elements for you to think about as you begin using antithesis in your own writing.

Contrast: The main tool of antithesis is its contrast of ideas. Ideally, the two concepts are direct opposites. However, sometimes you can get away with contrasting differences or implied opposites, which are forms of juxtaposition. (We’ll talk about the difference between antithesis and juxtaposition later.) The greater the difference between the two things, the clearer their contrast. Antithesis is more powerful than juxtaposition as it deals in stronger contrasts. 

Parallel structure: Parallel structure in writing, also known as  parallelism , creates a rhythm that draws attention to your contrast. Think about the famous Dickens line we talked about before: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” Notice how memorable that rhythm is. If we remove the parallel structure, you end up with something like: “It was the best of times, but not always. It was also the worst of times.” Same sentiment, not nearly as beautiful.

Be careful not to overuse antithesis though. Its effectiveness depends on grabbing your reader’s attention. Used too often, it can change from noteworthy to annoying.

Antithesis vs. juxtaposition

Antithesis, parallelism, and juxtaposition are closely related literary devices that overlap with each other. Just as antithesis reveals two contrary ideas’ qualities by contrasting them, learning the differences between these devices will help you understand each individually.

Juxtaposition means placing two objects side by side to highlight their differences. It is a broader category than antithesis. Antithesis is a type of juxtaposition. Antithesis means placing direct opposites side by side, while juxtaposition uses any sort of difference. Other forms of juxtaposition are foils (differences between specific characters) and  oxymorons (seemingly illogical expressions that use contradictory words).

Antithesis vs. parallelism

This may sound familiar because we just wrote about how antithesis uses parallelism to make its point. Parallelism has to do with  syntax , or the structure of the sentence. Put simply, it’s two or more clauses that have the same grammatical structure. For example, the expression “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” uses the same grammatical structure twice in a row. The difference between antithesis and parallelism is that parallelism does not have to deal in opposites, while antithesis does. Furthermore, antithesis refers to both the content and the structure of a statement, whereas parallelism is just a structure.

Antithesis examples

Once you know what to look for, you’ll see antithesis examples everywhere. Below are some selections that we found in literature, poetry, speeches, music, and advertising.

Antithesis in literature

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness . . .” —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

“. . . me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.” —Toni Morrison, Beloved

Antithesis in poetry

“Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice” —Robert Frost, “Fire and Ice”

Antithesis in speech

“We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom, symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, signifying renewal as well as change.” —John F. Kennedy, presidential inaugural speech

Antithesis in music

“’Cause you’re hot then you’re cold / you’re yes then you’re no / you’re in then you’re out / you’re up then you’re down” —Katy Perry, “Hot N Cold”

Antithesis in advertising

“Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.” —Sara Lee slogan

Antithesis phrases

Easy come, easy go. Get busy living or get busy dying. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” —Muhammad Ali, 1964

Antithesis FAQs

Antithesis is a literary device that places opposite words, ideas, or qualities parallel to each other. The contrast between them creates greater emphasis and clarity. Their parallel structure provides a memorable rhythm.

When is antithesis used?

The effect of antithesis is useful in all kinds of writing and speech, including literature, advertising, rhetoric, and music. It’s best used to make an emphatic point in a catchy way. 

How is antithesis used in writing?

In writing, antithesis combines juxtaposition and parallelism. The pattern created by antithesis allows writers to highlight differences, emphasize qualities, and generate rhythm.

What is Antithesis? Definition, Examples of Antitheses in Writing

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is Antithesis? Definition, Examples of Antitheses in Writing

Antithesis definition: Antithesis is a literary and rhetorical device where two seemingly contrasting ideas are expressed through parallel structure.

What is Antithesis?

What does antithesis mean? An antithesis is just that—an “anti” “thesis.” An antithesis is used in writing to express ideas that seem contradictory.

An antithesis uses parallel structure of two ideas to communicate this contradiction.

Example of Antithesis:

• “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” –Muhammad Ali

First, the structure is parallel. Each “side” of the phrase has the same number of words and the same structure. Each uses a verb followed by a simile.

Second, the contracting elements of a butterfly and a bee seem contradictory. That is, a butterfly is light and airy while a bee is sharp and stinging. One person (a boxer, in this case) should not be able to possess these two qualities—this is why this is an antithesis.

However, Ali is trying to express how a boxer must be light on his feet yet quick with his fist.

Modern Examples of Antithesis

• “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Through parallel structure, this quotation presents an antithesis. It seems contradictory that one action could be a “small step” and a “giant leap.”

However, this contradiction proposes that the action of landing on the moon might have just been a small physical step for the man Neil Armstrong, but it was a giant leap for the progress of mankind.

The Function of Antithesis

An antithesis stands out in writing. Because it uses parallel structure, an antithesis physically stands out when interspersed among other syntactical structures. Furthermore, an antithesis presents contrasting ideas that cause the reader or audience to pause and consider the meaning and purpose.

Oftentimes, the meaning of an antithesis is not overtly clear. That is, a reader or audience must evaluate the statement to navigate the meaning.

Writers utilize antitheses very sparingly. Since its purpose is to cause an audience to pause and consider the argument, it must be used with purpose and intent.

Antithesis Example from Literature

• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…”

From the beginning, Dickens presents two contradictory ideas in this antithesis.

How can it be the “best” and the “worst” of times? These two “times” should not be able to coexist.

Similarly, how can the setting of this novel also take place during an “age of wisdom” and an “age of foolishness?”

The antithesis continues.

Dickens opens his with these lines to set the tone for the rest of the novel. Clearly, there are two sides to this story, two tales of what is the truth. These two “sides” should not function peacefully. And, in fact, they do not. That, after all, is the “tale of two cities.”

Dickens sets up this disparity to set the tone for his novel, which will explore this topic.

Summary: What is an Antithesis?

Define antithesis: An antithesis consists of contrasting concepts presented in parallel structure.

Writers use antithesis to create emphasis to communicate an argument.

• Note: The plural form of antithesis is antitheses.

Antithesis (Grammar and Rhetoric)

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

 Richard Nordquist

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Antithesis is a  rhetorical term for the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses . Plural: antitheses . Adjective: antithetical .

In grammatical terms, antithetical statements are parallel structures . 

"A perfectly formed antithesis," says Jeanne Fahnestock, combines " isocolon , parison , and perhaps, in an inflected language, even homoeoteleuton ; it is an overdetermined figure . The aural patterning of the antithesis, its tightness and predictability, are critical to appreciating how the syntax of the figure can be used to force semantic opposites" ( Rhetorical Figures in Science , 1999).

From the Greek, "opposition"

Examples and Observations

• "Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing." (Goethe)
• "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." (advertising slogan)
• "There are so many things that we wish we had done yesterday, so few that we feel like doing today." (Mignon McLaughlin, The Complete Neurotic's Notebook . Castle Books, 1981)
• "We notice things that don't work. We don't notice things that do. We notice computers, we don't notice pennies. We notice e-book readers, we don't notice books." (Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time . Macmillan, 2002)
• "Hillary has soldiered on, damned if she does, damned if she doesn't, like most powerful women, expected to be tough as nails and warm as toast at the same time." (Anna Quindlen, "Say Goodbye to the Virago." Newsweek , June 16, 2003)
• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities , 1859)
• "Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours." (President Barack Obama, election night victory speech, November 7, 2012)
• "You're easy on the eyes Hard on the heart." (Terri Clark)
• "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." (Martin Luther King, Jr., speech at St. Louis, 1964)
• "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." (Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address , 1863)
• "All the joy the world contains Has come through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself." (Shantideva)
• "The more acute the experience, the less articulate its expression." (Harold Pinter, "Writing for the Theatre," 1962)
• "And let my liver rather heat with wine Than my heart cool with mortifying groans." (Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)
• Jack London's Credo "I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time." (Jack London, quoted by his literary executor, Irving Shepard, in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London's stories)
• Antithesis and Antitheton " Antithesis is the grammatical form of antitheton . Antitheton deals with contrasting thoughts or proofs in an argument ; Antithesis deals with contrasting words or ideas within a phrase, sentence, or paragraph." (Gregory T. Howard, Dictionary of Rhetorical Terms . Xlibris, 2010)
• Antithesis and Antonyms Antithesis as a figure of speech exploits the existence of many 'natural' opposites in the vocabularies of all languages. Small children filling in workbooks and adolescents studying for the antonyms section of the SAT learn to match words to their opposites and so absorb much vocabulary as pairs of opposed terms, connecting up to down and bitter to sweet, pusillanimous to courageous and ephemeral to everlasting. Calling these antonyms 'natural' simply means that pairs of words can have wide currency as opposites among users of a language outside any particular context of use. Word association tests give ample evidence of the consistent linking of opposites in verbal memory when subjects given one of a pair of antonyms most often respond with the other, 'hot' triggering 'cold' or 'long' retrieving 'short' (Miller 1991, 196). An antithesis as a figure of speech at the sentence level builds on these powerful natural pairs, the use of one in the first half of the figure creating the expectation of its verbal partner in the second half." (Jeanne Fahnestock, Rhetorical Figures in Science . Oxford University Press, 1999)
• Antithesis in Films - "Since . . . the quality of a scene or image is more vividly shown when set beside its opposite, it is not surprising to find antithesis in film . . .. There is a cut in Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick) from the yellow flickers of a flaming house to a still gray courtyard, lined with soldiers, and another from the yellow candles and warm browns of a gambling room to the cool grays of a terrace by moonlight and the Countess of Lyndon in white." (N. Roy Clifton, The Figure in Film . Associated University Presses, 1983) "It is clear that in every simile there is present both differences and likenesses, and both are a part of its effect. By ignoring differences, we find a simile and may perhaps find an antithesis in the same event, by ignoring likeness. . . . - "In The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges), a passenger boards a liner by tender. This was conveyed by the two vessels' whistling. We see a convulsive spurt of water and hear a desperate, soundless puff before the siren of the tender found its voice. There was a stuttering amazement, a drunken incoordination to these elaborate preliminaries, foiled by the liner's lofty unruffled burst of sounding steam. Here things that are like, in place, in sound, and in function, are unexpectedly contrasted. The commentary lies in the differences and gains force from the likeness." (N. Roy Clifton, The Figure in Film . Associated University Presses, 1983)
• Antithetical Observations of Oscar Wilde - “When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy.” ( The Picture of Dorian Gray , 1891) - “We teach people how to remember, we never teach them how to grow.” ("The Critic as Artist," 1991) - “Wherever there is a man who exercises authority, there is a man who resists authority.” ( The Soul of Man Under Socialism , 1891) - “Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer.” ("The Critic as Artist," 1991)

Pronunciation: an-TITH-uh-sis

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What is Antithesis? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Antithesis definition.

Antithesis  (ann-TIH-thuh-suhs), put simply, means the absolute opposite of something. As a literary term, it refers to the juxtaposition of two opposing entities in parallel structure. Antithesis is an effective literary device because humans tend to define through contrast. Therefore, antithesis can help readers understand something by defining its opposite.

Antithesis  comes from the Latin word, via Greek, for “to place against.” It was first used in English in the 1520s as rhetorical term, but the concept goes back at least as far as Aristotle, who believed an argument could be strengthened by illustrating it with contrast.

Examples of Antithesis

• “Spicy food is heaven on the tongue but hell in the tummy.” The concepts of heaven and hell are opposites—the former being very pleasant and ideal, the latter being highly undesirable. This antithetical statement is using these concepts to convey that spicy food is delicious, but it can lead to an unfortunate digestive reaction.
• “I’m either an impressive vegetarian or a disappointing vegan.” On the scale between vegetarianism and the stricter veganism, the speaker’s current diet lies somewhere in the middle. So, while a vegetarian might applaud their efforts, a vegan might berate them for being so lax.
• “Psychiatrists write prescriptions, therapists prescribe writing.” This example includes a humorous inversion to explain the difference between psychiatrists and therapists. The former prescribes medicine to address mental issues on a biological level, while the latter might suggest a more psychologically focused approach, like journaling, as a way of easing mental stress.

Antithesis vs. Other Comparative Terms

There are several literary terms that, like antithesis, make comparisons between two things or concepts that are opposites or contrast in some way. Three such terms are  dichotomy ,  oxymoron , and foil.

Dichotomy is a division between two entities, whereas antithesis pits two opposing entities against each other. For example, the colors black and white are considered opposites, but they are not in opposition; they can’t be in conflict nor do they cancel each other out. The concepts of war and peace, on the other hand, are at odds and can’t be reconciled.

An oxymoron is a contradiction in terms, but unlike antithesis, these terms are working together. The basic oxymoron construction is a word + an antonymic modifier, and the two essentially function as a single unit. For example, calling something a “minor crisis” is an oxymoron because  minor  implies something insignificant, while  crisis  means it requires immediate attention. Based on this, an oxymoron can’t be a component of antithesis because the point of the latter is to pit two things against each other.

Where antithesis is a verbal or written opposition, a foil is a literary opposition, usually embodied by a character in a narrative. For example, Draco Malfoy can be considered Harry Potter’s foil in the  Harry Potter  series because where Harry is honorable and loyal, Draco is somewhat corrupt and unfaithful.

Antithesis Outside of Literature

A common theme in American popular music is the difference between the middle and lower classes. In “Men of Good Fortune” by Lou Reed, the singer describes all the things rich men can do that poor men cannot:

Men of good fortune

Often cause empires to fall

While men of poor beginnings

Often can’t do anything at all

Antithesis is common in political speeches, particularly when it comes to the underrepresented pushing for equitable policies. In Malcolm X’s famous “ Ballot or the Bullet ”  speech, he discusses how America was built by Black and indigenous people for white people’s benefit, saying, “We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock; the rock was landed on us.”

Examples of Antithesis in Literature

1. Charles Dickens,  A Tale of Two Cities

This classic tale of love and sacrifice features the French Revolution as its backdrop. In this tumultuous era, where the differences between the haves and the have-nots was at its starkest, Dickens illustrates the antithetical concepts that existed simultaneously:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way […]

2. William Shakespeare,  The Merchant of Venice

At the beginning of this romantic comedy, chatty lout Gratiano wants to understand why his friend Antonio is so down—and why anyone would ever be down at all:

And let my liver rather heat with wine

Than my heart cool with mortifying groans.

Gratiano is implying that he’d rather experience life through a chemically altered (and therefore unreliable) lens than face any ordeals, even though they would be truer to reality.

3. John Milton,  Paradise Lost

Milton’s epic poem explores many facets of the Christian bible and belief systems—including the concept of free will. When Lucifer, once one of God’s brightest angels, is cast into Hell, he says, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.” This leads the reader to question whether anyone is truly free, though ultimately the Bible’s core argument is that willingly giving over control to God is what will leads to a happy life.

Further Resources on Antithesis

MasterClass’s  How to Use Antithesis in Your Writing  course is a concise guide on the mechanics of antithesis and when to use it.

This excerpt from  Hegel for Beginners  by Lloyd Spencer is a handy introduction to antithesis as a component of dialectics (a system for pursuing truth by way of logical argument).

Related Terms

• Juxtaposition

Antithesis involves the writer employing two sentences of contrasting meanings in close proximity to one another. Whether they are words or phrases of the same sentence, an antithesis is used to create a stark contrast using two divergent elements that come together to create one uniform whole. An antithesis plays on the complementary property of opposites to create one vivid picture. The purpose of using an antithesis in literature is to create a balance between opposite qualities and lend a greater insight into the subject.

Examples of antithesis:

“To be or not to be, that is the question” – This famous line from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” uses antithesis to contrast the ideas of existence and non-existence, emphasizing the weight of the decision facing the character.

“Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing” – In this sentence, the contrast between the ideal and the real creates an antithesis that highlights the differences between the two concepts.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – In this famous quote from Neil Armstrong, the contrast between the small step and the giant leap creates an antithesis that emphasizes the magnitude of the achievement.

“Speech is silver, but silence is golden” – This common saying uses antithesis to contrast the value of speaking and staying quiet, emphasizing the idea that sometimes it is better to remain silent.

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools” – In this quote from Martin Luther King Jr., the contrast between living together and perishing together creates an antithesis that emphasizes the importance of unity and cooperation.

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Man proposes and God disposes… Marriage has many pains but celibacy has no pleasures..

Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. the other two people: Am I a joke to you

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What is antithesis? A guide with examples

Find out how to use antithesis to improve your writing and see examples of antithesis being used in literature, poetry and advertising.

Introduction

This blog post is part of the Semantix copywriters’ toolkit, which is a great resource for writing professionals and all those looking to improve their writing, including language and marketing students. Firstly, we’ll discuss the definition of antithesis, including how it differs from similar rhetorical devices . Then, we’ll look at how other writers have used antithesis to set contrast and add impact to their work, including some famous examples of antithesis in literature, poetry and marketing.

What is antithesis?

The word antithesis is sometimes used to mean ‘opposite’. For example, “She is slim and sporty – the very antithesis of her brother”. However, ‘antithesis’ (or ‘antitheses’ if plural) is also the name given to a particular rhetorical or literary device. In this blog post, we’ll be looking at ‘antithesis’ in its role as the rhetorical and literary device.

The word ‘antithesis’ comes from the Greek for ‘setting opposite’. It means to express a concept by creating contrast. This can be done in different ways according to different definitions: either using only the content of the expression, or the content and the grammatical structure. Using the content can be as simple as using words with opposite meanings in close proximity to each other, or more complex by describing concepts that contrast with one another. This draws the reader’s attention to the differences between the two things.

Antithesis often presents opposing ideas and presents those ideas in a parallel grammatical structure. This is unlike general parallelism, which presents a balance of elements in a structure (sentence, clause or other) without necessarily involving the content. Antithesis is usually created in two parts, but can also be formed by three or more opposing clauses.

Writers can use antithesis to communicate a concept that is best expressed through opposites. It’s a simple yet effective way to really drive a point home. As with other literary devices , the rules aren’t set in stone, it’s more about using the device in ways that create impact and bring the words to life.

Examples of antithesis in literature

What makes a good piece of writing truly great? You might argue that the key ingredients include memorability, impact and the beauty of a rhythmical grammatical structure – deliverables that can be served skillfully with antitheses.

When you put two antithetical concepts together in a short phrase, you get drama. And drama is what keeps the reader turning the pages.

In addition, the parallel structure often used in antithesis makes the words stand out from the other text on a page. Working like a mental stop sign, it compels the reader to notice the contrasting ideas and consider the meaning of that contrast.

Using antithesis, writers can present contradictions by balancing opposing words and statements. This builds contrasting images in a reader’s mind and creates a powerful impression of either a character or circumstance.

A good portion of the best-known writers in history have been masters of antithesis. For example, antithesis plays a big part in the language used by William Shakespeare. In fact, nearly every character he created uses it. For example, in Mac beth the witches chant, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” – a simple but dramatic antithesis. One of the best-known Shakespearean quotes of all time is an antithesis from the play Hamlet , when the prince says, “To be, or not to be...”. In just six words Shakespeare creates a perfect contrast between existing and not existing, inviting the audience to ponder the meaning of life itself.

Another famous use of antithesis is the expression, “To err is human; to forgive, divine”, which was written in 1711 by English poet Alexander Pope in ‘ An Essay on Criticism, Part II ’. After the original creation of the statement, further iterations have added the word ‘is’ so, “To err is human; to forgive is divine”, which, arguably, improves the rhythm by creating an equal number of words in each part of the sentence.

And it’s not just the writers of old who wield the sword of antithesis so well: their modern counterparts are equally aware of its power. For example, the Green Lantern comic writers use antithesis at the start of Green Lantern’s oath in order to emphasise his mission to defeat evil at all costs:

In brightest day , in blackest night , No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might Beware my power – Green Lantern’s light!

Antithesis in poetry.

Poetry is perhaps the writing genre where we find the most graceful use of words. That’s why there are lots of antitheses used in poetry throughout history.

Take a look at the two-part structures and conceptual contrasts from some of the world’s best-known poems:

"Better to reign in Hell , then serve in Heav’n" – Paradise Lost , John Milton, 1667

“much madness is divinest sense ” – 620, emily dickinson, “some say the world will end in fire / some say in ice ” – fire and ice, robert frost, 1920.

Occasionally, a writer might even make use of a triple antithesis:

“Herein lives wisdom, beauty , and increase ; / Without this, folly, age , and cold decay ” – Sonnet 11, William Shakespeare, 1609

Antithesis in speeches.

Of course, what works on paper often works in its spoken form too. Some of the best speeches of all time can thank, at least in part, antithesis for their success.

“That’s one small step for a man – one giant leap for mankind” – Neil Armstrong, 1969

“we must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools ” – martin luther king jr, 1964, “on this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord ” – barack obama, 2009, antithesis in advertising.

Marketers love to make us remember how truly wonderful their services or products are. Antithesis provides marketers with a powerful tool: contrast to underline a unique selling proposition (USP) and a memorable rhythm. That’s why you’ll find the path to marketing gold is littered with antitheses: the antithesis is the life-blood of the tagline or slogan.

Take a look at how each of these taglines uses a parallel structure and creates opposition:

“ Small business. Big future” – Santander

“ heavy on features. light on price” – apple, “ tough on stains. gentle on skin” – persil, “ less calories; more taste” – so good, “inspired by yesterday , built for tomorrow ” – nokia, “ all of the taste. none of the sugars” – alpro, “ smart listens to the head. stupid listens to the heart” – diesel, antithesis, chiasmus and parallelism – what are the differences.

Parallelism, sometimes called parallel structure or parallel construction, is the repetition of grammatical structures in a piece of writing in order to create a balanced, harmonious effect.

Parallelism requires only the repeated grammatical structure, while antithesis uses the content – you can’t set up opposing concepts by only using the structure!

Look at this example, “They have plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns – all while caring for their own oceans and cities.” The beginning of this statement repeats the same structure while changing the verbs and nouns. It doesn’t create a contrast between each clause or suggest any form of opposition. That’s the key difference between other forms of parallelism and antithesis: parallelism doesn’t need to present opposites, but antithesis is all about the opposites.

If a similar phrase was written using antitheses, it might read something like this. “They have plundered our seas; but have nurtured their seas. They ravaged our coasts; they cared for their own. They burnt our towns while they built their cities.” In the ‘antithesis version’, each clause is juxtaposed with another concept to create impact. You can hear how much more powerful the second phrase is if you read both versions out loud.

While antithesis is parallelism, not all parallelism is antithesis! For example, chiasmus is also a form of parallelism. In fact, it’s sometimes described as an inverted parallelism and happens when word order or grammatical structure is reversed in two phrases. For example, the phrase, “Do I love you because you are beautiful? Or are you beautiful because I love you?” qualifies as a parallelism and a chiasmus but there’s no opposition so it’s not an antithesis.

Semantix’s copywriting toolkit

Our copywriting toolkit is a valuable resource for anyone aiming to improve their writing skills. It contains definitions and examples of rhetorical devices in action, with guidelines on how and why they are used.

Using rhetorical devices, such as antitheses, is a time-proven method of taking your writing to another level and making sure that your words are impactful, memorable and effective. Whether you’re writing for pleasure or writing for business, they create drama and keep your readers or listeners engaged.

Semantix’s copywriting services

As the leading language solution provider in the Nordics, language is our passion. Every day, we help our clients reach new target audiences and enter new global marketplaces. We believe that language should be used as an opportunity to boost business and never be seen as a barrier.

Our copywriting services are available in more than 200 languages, and we only work with native-speaking translators . By matching you with a multilingual copywriter with experience in your specific industry, we’ll help you make every word work hard for your business in every language.

Want to find out more about our multilingual copywriting services?

Further reading.

• A Handlist Of Rhetorical Terms – Richard Lanham, University of California Press, 2013
• Simplified Glossary Of Literary Terms/Devices: An Easy-To-Use Source Of Definitions, Examples And Exercises For Students And Teachers – Victor Igiri, 2022
• The Oxford Dictionary Of Literary Terms (Oxford Quick Reference) 4th Edition – Chris Baldick, OUP Oxford, 2015
• The Elements Of Eloquence – Mark Forsyth, Icon Books, 2013
• The Elements Of Rhetoric – Ryan N S Topping, Angelico Press, 2016
• The Penguin Dictionary Of Literary Terms And Literary Theory – J A Cuddon, Penguin, 2014
• The Rhetorical Device: Literary Resources For The Writer Vol. 1 of 2 – Paul F Kisak, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016
• Writing With Clarity And Style: A Guide To Rhetorical Devices For Contemporary Writers – Robert A Harris, Routledge, 2017
• The Use Of Rhetorical Devices In Selected Speeches by Clinton & Trump: Discourse From The Electoral Campaign 2016 – Larissa Wolf, AV Akademikerverlag, 2018
• American rhetoric (online) Antithesis blog post
• Studiobinder (online) ‘What is antithesis’ blog post
• The Oxford Dictionary O f Literary Terms (Oxford Quick Reference) 4th Edition – Chris Baldick, OUP Oxford, 2015
• Voltaire, The Project Gutenberg EBook Of A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 4 (of 10).
• Toastmasters (online) ‘The Crafting of Eloquence’ blog post .

Related content

A guide to the literary device anaphora – for professional wordsmiths

Literary devices list: examples of literary devices and how to use them

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Examples of Antithesis Across Media: Notable Uses

• DESCRIPTION Happy woman eating a cotton candy and Businessman crying in rain as Antithesis examples
• SOURCE Woman: andresr / E+ / Getty Images / Man: PM Images / Stone / Getty Images
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You're a brave and outgoing public speaker, but your best friend clams up at the thought of talking on stage. They are your antithesis: someone or something with a contrary characteristic. Authors and speakers use antithesis between characters, concepts and situations to draw contrasts in their work — which can be a very effective way to persuade an audience to support a character, vote a certain way or even buy a particular product.

Antithesis Examples in Literature and Film

Using antithesis as a literary device in stories helps to develop a conflict , paving the way to a resolution. It also allows the protagonist to develop some strength in character and fight back against antithetical forces.

Julius Caesar

In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus and Mark Antony were painted in opposite colors. Interestingly, the contrast isn’t stark. Shakespeare takes a more subtle approach to antithesis here, portraying Brutus as an honorable man, if slightly naive. Antony was also an honorable man, but he possessed a certain ruthlessness and ambition that Brutus lacked.

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens begins: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Dickens epitomized the very idea of antithesis with this line. How can anything be both good and bad? In truth, life is always a simultaneous balance of the two.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, Dumbledore and Voldemort engage in a fiery and electric battle of the ages. They are both powerful wizards, with Dumbledore coming down on the side of good and Voldemort coming down on the side of evil.

Paradise Lost

John Milton writes that it is “better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n" in Paradise Lost . Milton draws this stark contrast to make the point is that it may be better to be in power, even if it’s in the darkest depths of the netherworld, than to serve at the feet of another.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Aslan and the White Witch are constantly at odds with one another in The Chronicles Of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Aslan represents the side of good, whereas the White Witch comes down on the side of evil, sometimes even being compared to Satan.

An Essay on Criticism

The “to err is human; to forgive divine" from Alexander Pope's A n Essay on Criticism paints a striking image of two opposing forces. Mistakes are a part of what it means to be human. However, if you want to elevate yourself to a status higher than humankind, you’ll have to learn to forgive one another.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

In Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , Snow White and the Wicked Witch possess antithetical character traits. Snow White wanted to be kind and helpful to her fellow man, while the Wicked Witch's bitter jealousy prompts her to poison Snow White with an apple, thus taking away her beauty and charm.

Beauty and the Beast

Even the title of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is based on antithesis. Belle is the quintessence of beauty and the Beast is the epitome of ugliness. However, even though they’re initially presented as polar opposites, they still find a way to each other. And what is the Beast’s reward in the end? His beastliness is turned into beauty.

The venerable William Shakespeare writes, “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice" in Hamlet . In a short statement, he uses antithesis to contrast talking with its opposite: listening. True to form, Shakespeare found an illustrative way to drive a simple point home.

Antithesis Examples in Music

Much like poetry, song lyrics use antithesis to create vivid mental images and to draw important contrasts. How better to paint a picture or tug on a heartstring than with an illustrative play on words?

• "It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry, / The sun so hot, I froze to death, Susanna, don’t you cry." - Oh Susanna ! by Stephen Foster
• "You’re easy on the eyes, hard on the heart." - Y ou’re Easy on the Eyes by Terri Clark
• "I close my eyes so I can see / I burn a fire to stay cool / Shut the door so I can leave." - Shut the Door by Fugazi
• "And even though the sun is shining / Well, I feel the rain." - Even in the Quietest Moments by Roger Hodgson
• "It's never too soon / It's never too late." - Quicksand by Bethany Joy Lenz
• "Give me some sunshine / Give me some rain / Give me another chance / I wanna grow up once again." - Give Me Some Sunshine by Swanand Kirkire

Antithesis Examples in Speech and Advertising

Speakers frequently use antithesis to sway a crowd. On the same note, advertisers also use this rhetorical device to persuade their audience to buy a product. Take a look at a few noteworthy examples of historic moments and marketing campaigns.

• “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” - Neil Armstrong
• "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
• "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." - Sara Lee advertising slogan.
• “Unlike short-sighted, egocentric humans, God 'sees with equal eye' the fall of a hero and a sparrow, the destruction of an atom or a solar system.” - Alexander Pope.
• “Speech is silver, but silence is gold.” - Source unknown
• "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." - Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address
• "I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time." - Jack London
• "Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing." - Goethe
• “Money is the root of all evil: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.” - Source unknown
• “Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.” - Aristotle
• “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” - Samuel Johnson
• “Folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” - Abraham Lincoln
• "All the joy the world contains / Has come through wishing happiness for others. / All the misery the world contains / Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself." - Shantideva

Using Writing Tools

Any time you make a decision between two options, you're comparing their characteristics and deciding which you prefer. In this way, antithesis can be a very effective persuasive tool. Use rhetoric to make decisions (or to persuade others to do so) in real life or in writing.

• Examples of Rhetorical Devices: 25 Techniques to Recognize
• Examples of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
• Types of Logical Fallacies: Recognizing Faulty Reasoning

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Antithesis is a rhetorical device where contrasting words or ideas are juxtaposed to create a balanced and thought-provoking expression, emphasizing the inherent contrast for rhetorical effect.

In this article, we will define this figure of speech and illustrate it with examples from literature.

Let’s get started with understanding what antithesis means!

What is antithesis?

Antithesis is a figure of speech that refers to the juxtaposition of opposing or contrasting ideas. It involves the bringing out of a contrast in the ideas by an obvious contrast in the words, clauses, or sentences, within a parallel grammatical structure.

To illustrate this stylistic device, let’s consider some examples:

• This sentence juxtaposes the contrasting ideas of human intention or plans (man proposes) and divine intervention or control (God disposes). The opposition between the human will and divine authority is highlighted through the parallel structure, creating a thought-provoking and balanced expression.
• The antithesis lies in the contrast between optimism and caution. The first part, “Hope for the best,” expresses an optimistic outlook, encouraging optimism and positive expectations. On the other hand, the second part, “Prepare for the worst,” introduces a contrasting idea by emphasizing the need for preparedness and caution in case things do not go as hoped. The juxtaposition of these opposing concepts within the same sentence creates a balanced and impactful expression, conveying the importance of both optimism and preparedness in facing uncertain situations.

Why Do Writers Use Antithesis?

Writers use antithesis as a rhetorical device to add depth and emphasis to their writing . By juxtaposing contrasting ideas within a parallel structure, antithesis creates a compelling and thought-provoking effect, prompting readers to consider the inherent tension between opposing concepts.

• Emphasis and Highlighting: Antithesis allows writers to emphasize key ideas by placing them in stark contrast. The use of opposing elements draws attention to the intended message, making it more memorable and impactful for the reader.
• Enhanced Clarity and Understanding: Through the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, antithesis can enhance clarity and understanding. By presenting opposing concepts side by side, writers help readers grasp the nuances of a situation or argument, fostering a deeper comprehension of the text.
• Rhetorical Balance and Aesthetic Appeal: Antithesis contributes to the overall balance and aesthetic appeal of writing. The deliberate pairing of opposites creates a harmonious and rhythmic quality, enhancing the literary quality of the text and making it more engaging for the audience.

Common Examples of Antithesis in Everyday Conversations

Antithesis is a figure of speech that frequently appears in everyday conversations. Explore the following examples to witness instances where this rhetorical device seamlessly integrates into common discourse.

• Man proposes; God disposes.
• Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
• Keep your mouth closed and your eyes open.
• Art is long, and time is fleeting.
• Easy come, easy go.
• One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
• Love me or hate me, but don’t ignore me.
• Actions speak louder than words.
• Better late than never.
• The pen is mightier than the sword.
• Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art.
• Give me liberty, or give me death.
• She is rich in beauty; poor in wealth.
• Too many cooks spoil the broth.
• You’re either with us or against us.

Examples of Antithesis in Literature

These are examples of antithesis in literature:

“Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.” Johann wolfgang von Goethe

In this antithesis by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the contrast lies between the abstract and ideal concept of love and the practical reality of marriage. The juxtaposition emphasizes the distinction between the romanticized notion of love and the tangible, sometimes challenging aspects of a real-life commitment like marriage.

Alexander Pope uses this figure of speech here:

“To err is human; to forgive divine.” Alexander Pope.

This statement exemplifies the presence of antithesis. Here, the contrasting ideas of human fallibility and the divine quality of forgiveness are succinctly juxtaposed within a parallel structure, highlighting the inherent tension and wisdom captured in this thought-provoking aphorism.

… Beware  Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,  Bear’t that the opposèd may beware of thee.  Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.  From “ Hamlet ” by William Shakespeare

In this example by William Shakespeare, the contrast is between listening and speaking. The advice is to be attentive and listen to everyone (“Give every man thy ear”) but to be selective and cautious in expressing one’s own thoughts or opinions (“but few thy voice”). This antithesis underscores the importance of thoughtful communication and the judicious use of words.

To be, or not to be, that is the question. From “Hamlet” by Shakespeare

The contrasting elements “to be” and “not to be” are juxtaposed within a parallel structure, creating a profound and thought-provoking expression. This use of antithesis highlights the existential dilemma and inner conflict faced by the character Hamlet as he contemplates the meaning and consequences of life and death.

“Many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

In this statement from the Bible (Matthew 22:14), the antithesis lies in the contrast between the large number of individuals who are called and the significantly smaller number who are chosen. The juxtaposition emphasizes the idea that while many may have the opportunity or invitation (are called), only a select few meet certain criteria or fulfill specific conditions to be chosen.

This antithesis conveys a sense of exclusivity and highlights the distinction between a general invitation and a more selective designation.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness… From “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

This excerpt is the opening lines of Charles Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities.” In this passage, Dickens masterfully employs antithesis by juxtaposing contrasting elements such as “the best of times” with “the worst of times,” “the age of wisdom” with “the age of foolishness,” and so on.

The use of this figure of speech sets the stage for the novel’s exploration of dichotomies and contrasts, creating a vivid and thought-provoking introduction to the story.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong’s statement is an example of antithesis. The contrast is between the seemingly insignificant action of an individual (“one small step for man”) and the immensely significant impact on all of humanity (“one giant leap for mankind”).

This antithesis effectively captures the historic moment of Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, highlighting both the personal and the collective significance of the event.

In summary, antithesis is a powerful rhetorical device that involves juxtaposing contrasting ideas to create a vivid and impactful expression. It is used to emphasize, highlight, and draw attention to key concepts, fostering depth and resonance in written or spoken communication. If you incorporate this figure of speech into your writing, you can enhance clarity, evoke emotion, and captivate your audience by skillfully playing with the juxtaposition of opposing elements.

Related Pages:

• More figures of speech

Antithesis: Definition, Grammartical Structure and Examples

Antithesis is a rhetorical device that involves contrasting two opposing ideas in a sentence or a paragraph. It is a powerful tool used in literature, speeches, and debates to emphasize the difference between two ideas. The word antithesis is derived from the Greek word “antitithenai,” which means “to oppose” or “to set against.”

Antithesis can be used to create a memorable impact on the audience. It draws attention to the stark contrast between two opposing ideas, making it easier for the audience to understand the message being conveyed. Antithesis can be used in various forms, such as contrasting words, phrases, or entire sentences. It is often used in famous speeches, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, where he used antithesis to emphasize the difference between segregation and equality.

Antithesis Definitions

Greek Origins

The word “antithesis” has its roots in the Greek word “antithenai,” which means “to oppose.” The Greek word “tithenai” also contributed to the development of “antithesis,” as it means “to put, set, or place.” These Greek words were used to describe the concept of setting something in opposition to another thing, or placing two contrasting ideas side by side for comparison.

Modern Definitions

According to Merriam-Webster, “antithesis” has two primary definitions. The first definition is “the direct opposite,” while the second definition is “the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences.” This second definition refers to the use of antithesis as a literary device, where contrasting ideas are presented in a parallel structure for emphasis or effect.

Other definitions of “antithesis” include “opposition” and “contrast.” Synonyms for “antithesis” include “contradiction,” “counterpart,” and “inverse.”

Overall, the concept of antithesis has evolved from its Greek origins to become a widely recognized literary device used in various forms of writing and speech. By presenting contrasting ideas in a parallel structure, writers and speakers can create a powerful sense of contrast and emphasis that can capture the attention of their audience.

Understanding Antithesis

In Rhetoric

Antithesis is a rhetorical device that involves the use of contrasting concepts, words, or sentences within parallel grammatical structures to create a balanced and contrasting effect. This literary device is often used to emphasize the differences between two ideas or concepts, thereby creating a more powerful and memorable message.

Antithesis is commonly used in persuasive writing and speeches, as it allows the speaker or writer to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of opposing viewpoints. By presenting two contrasting ideas side by side, the audience is able to see the differences more clearly and make a more informed decision.

In Literature

In literature, antithesis is used to create a sense of tension and drama by contrasting two opposing ideas or concepts. This technique is often used in poetry, where contrasting concepts are used to create a more powerful and memorable image or message.

In literature, antithesis is often used to create a sense of irony or contradiction, as the author juxtaposes two opposing ideas to create a more complex and nuanced message. For example, in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, the opening lines “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” use antithesis to highlight the stark contrasts between the two cities.

In Speeches

Antithesis is a common rhetorical device used in speeches to create a more powerful and memorable message. By presenting two contrasting ideas side by side, the speaker is able to emphasize the differences between them and create a more persuasive argument.

Antithesis is often used in political speeches, where the speaker may use contrasting concepts to highlight the differences between their own policies and those of their opponents. For example, in John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, he used antithesis when he said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Overall, antithesis is a powerful literary and rhetorical device that can be used in a variety of contexts to create a more memorable and persuasive message. By presenting two contrasting ideas side by side, the speaker or writer is able to highlight the differences between them and create a more nuanced and complex message that is more likely to be remembered by the audience.

Grammatical Structure

Antithesis is a rhetorical device that uses contrasting ideas in parallel grammatical structures to create emphasis and highlight the differences between them. The grammatical structure of antithesis is essential to its effectiveness, as it creates a balance between the opposing ideas and makes them more memorable to the reader or listener.

Parallelism

Parallelism is a crucial aspect of antithesis. It involves using the same grammatical structure for both contrasting ideas, such as using the same sentence structure for two opposing phrases. This technique creates a rhythmic effect that draws the reader’s attention to the contrasting ideas and emphasizes the differences between them.

For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. used parallelism in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech when he said, “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

Contrasting Ideas

Antithesis relies on contrasting ideas to create a powerful effect. These ideas can be expressed through sentences, clauses, phrases, or words. The contrasting ideas must be balanced to create a harmonious effect, which is achieved through the use of parallelism.

For example, in Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar,” Mark Antony uses antithesis to compare the honorable Brutus to the treacherous Cassius. He says, “Brutus is an honorable man; so are they all, all honorable men,” emphasizing the contrast between Brutus’s character and his actions.

In conclusion, the grammatical structure of antithesis is crucial to its effectiveness. The use of parallelism and contrasting ideas creates a rhythmic effect that draws the reader’s attention and emphasizes the differences between the opposing ideas. By using a balanced grammatical structure, antithesis creates a memorable effect that enhances the impact of the message being conveyed.

Antithesis Examples

Antithesis is a literary device that positions opposite ideas parallel to each other. This section will explore some examples of antithesis in literature, speeches, and everyday life.

Antithesis is widely used in literature to create a contrast between two different ideas. One of the most famous examples of antithesis is found in Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

William Shakespeare also used antithesis in his writing. In “Romeo and Juliet,” he writes, “My only love sprung from my only hate! / Too early seen unknown, and known too late!” This example shows how antithesis can create a powerful contrast between love and hate.

Antithesis is also commonly used in speeches to emphasize opposing ideas. Martin Luther King Jr. used antithesis in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” This example highlights the contrast between living together peacefully and the consequences of not doing so.

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is another famous example of antithesis in speeches. He said, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us.” This example contrasts the work of those who fought with the work that still needs to be done.

In Everyday Life

Antithesis is also commonly used in everyday life, often without people realizing it. For example, the famous quote by Neil Armstrong , “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” is an example of antithesis. The contrast between the small step and the giant leap creates a powerful image of the significance of the event.

Another example of antithesis in everyday life is the phrase “no pain, no gain.” This phrase emphasizes the contrast between the discomfort of hard work and the benefits that come from it.

In conclusion, antithesis is a powerful literary device that can be used to emphasize contrasting ideas. It is commonly used in literature, speeches, and everyday life to create a memorable and impactful message.

The Impact of Antithesis

On audience.

Antithesis can have a profound impact on an audience. By presenting contrasting ideas in a balanced grammatical structure, it captures the attention of the audience and creates a sense of tension that keeps them engaged. The use of antithesis can also make content more memorable and effective, as it creates a sense of rhythm and imagery that sticks with the audience long after they have finished reading or listening.

Antithesis can be a powerful tool for writers and speakers looking to convey complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. By juxtaposing opposing ideas, it allows them to highlight the differences between them and make their point more effectively. Antithesis can also be used to create a sense of tension and drama in a piece of content, which can help to keep the audience engaged and interested.

When used effectively, antithesis can be a powerful tool for writers and speakers looking to create memorable and effective content. By capturing the attention of the audience and creating a sense of tension and drama, it can help to convey complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. Whether used for rhetorical effect or simply to create a sense of rhythm and imagery, antithesis is a powerful tool that should not be overlooked.

Antithesis and Other Literary Devices

Antithesis is often used in conjunction with other literary devices to create a more impactful effect. One such device is the oxymoron, which is a figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms. An oxymoron can be used to create a sense of irony or to highlight a paradox. For example, the phrase “bittersweet” is an oxymoron because it combines two opposite terms.

Another literary device that can be used in conjunction with antithesis is the foil. A foil is a character who is used to contrast with another character in order to highlight their differences. This can be used to create a sense of conflict or to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of a particular character. For example, in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” the character of Hamlet is contrasted with the character of Laertes in order to highlight their different approaches to revenge.

While antithesis is often used to highlight contrasts and opposing ideas, it can also be used to create a sense of synthesis. Synthesis is the process of combining two or more ideas in order to create a new and more complex idea. For example, the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword” combines the idea of writing (which is often associated with intellect) with the idea of physical force (which is often associated with strength) in order to create a new and more complex idea.

Antithesis, oxymorons, foils, and synthesis are all powerful literary devices that can be used to create a sense of comparison and contrast. By using these devices, writers can create more impactful and memorable works that speak to the complexities of mankind.

Common Misconceptions and Overuse

Antithesis is a powerful literary device that can add depth and complexity to writing. However, it is often misunderstood and overused, leading to annoying and cliché writing. In this section, we will address some common misconceptions and overuse of antithesis.

One common misconception is that antithesis must always involve a direct opposition between two ideas or words. While this is often the case, antithesis can also involve a contrast between two related ideas or words. For example, “love and hate” are direct opposites, while “love and indifference” are related but contrasting ideas.

Another misconception is that antithesis should be used in every sentence or paragraph. Overuse of antithesis can lead to annoying and cliché writing. It is important to use antithesis sparingly and only when it adds value to the writing.

Additionally, some writers may try to force antithesis into their writing, resulting in awkward and unnatural phrasing. It is important to use antithesis in a way that flows naturally and enhances the meaning of the writing.

Overall, antithesis is a powerful tool that can add depth and complexity to writing. However, it should be used sparingly and only when it adds value to the writing. Avoid overuse and forcing antithesis into writing, as this can lead to annoying and cliché writing.

In conclusion, antithesis is a rhetorical device that involves the use of contrasting or opposite ideas in a balanced grammatical structure. It is commonly used in literature, speeches, and other forms of communication to create emphasis, contrast, and impact.

Antithesis is often used in conjunction with the thesis-antithesis-synthesis dialectic, a process of logical argumentation that involves presenting a thesis, then presenting its opposite (antithesis), and finally synthesizing the two opposing viewpoints to arrive at a new conclusion.

Through the use of antithesis, writers and speakers can create a sense of tension and drama, as well as emphasize the differences between two opposing ideas. It can also be used to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of different arguments and perspectives, and to help readers or listeners come to their own conclusions about a particular topic.

Overall, antithesis is a powerful tool for writers and speakers who wish to make a strong impression on their audience. By using contrasting or opposite ideas in a balanced structure, they can create a sense of tension and drama, emphasize key points, and help their audience come to their own conclusions about a particular topic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the definition of antithesis?

Antithesis is a figure of speech that contrasts two opposing ideas in a sentence or a phrase. It is often used to create a dramatic effect or to emphasize a point. The term comes from the Greek word “antithesis,” which means “opposition.”

Can you give an example of antithesis in literature?

One famous example of antithesis in literature is the opening lines of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” This sentence contrasts the two opposing ideas of good and bad, wisdom and foolishness, to emphasize the stark differences between the two cities.

How is antithesis different from juxtaposition?

Antithesis and juxtaposition are both figures of speech that involve contrasting two ideas. However, antithesis specifically involves contrasting two opposing ideas, while juxtaposition can contrast any two ideas, regardless of whether they are opposing or not.

What are some common uses of antithesis?

Antithesis is commonly used in literature, speeches, and advertising to create a memorable impact on the audience. It can be used to emphasize a point, create a dramatic effect, or to convey a deeper meaning.

What is the purpose of using antithesis in writing?

The purpose of using antithesis is to create a contrast between two opposing ideas, which can help to emphasize a point or to create a memorable impact on the audience. It can also be used to convey a deeper meaning or to create a dramatic effect.

Can you provide an example of antithesis in a school setting?

An example of antithesis in a school setting could be the phrase “knowledge is power, ignorance is weakness.” This phrase contrasts the two opposing ideas of knowledge and ignorance to emphasize the importance of education.

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• Scriptwriting

What is Antithesis — Definition & Examples in Literature & Film

I f you’ve ever heard sentence structure, met characters, or witnessed ideas that seem diametrically opposed, you’re actually pretty familiar with the idea of the antithesis. But there is more to it than just juxtaposing ideas. Read on to learn exactly what is antithesis, how this tool is used, and how you can include an antithesis in your next project. 

Antithesis Definition

First, let’s define antithesis.

There are a number of terms often confused for antithesis (like paradox or oxymoron ). But an antithesis has a particular grammatical structure that helps differentiate it from the rest. So, here’s the antithesis definition and then we'll look at specific examples:

ANTITHESIS DEFINITION

What is antithesis.

An antithesis is a rhetorical and literary device with parallel grammar structure but which establishes a nearly complete or exact opposition in ideas or characters. It can be effective in emphasizing drastic differences between opposing concepts.

How to pronounce antithesis: [an-TITH-uh-sis]  

Familiar antithesis examples:

• “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
• “No pain, no gain.”
• “Out of sight, out of mind.”

The word “antithesis” comes from the Greek word meaning “setting opposite,” which is an idea that has been used in various forms. Let’s look at those various forms in more antithesis examples.

Antitheses Examples

How do we use antithesis today.

The purpose of antithetical language is not just mentioning the existence of opposing ideas, but rather emphasizing the stark differences between them.  The often lyrical and rhythmic nature of this device helps accentuate the parallel grammatical structure.

Watch the video below to learn more about how we use antitheses today. 

Antithesis Definition, Examples and Techniques

We use this device in that pure form today (see the examples above) in everyday turns of phrase. But there are more in-depth ways (in actions and story in general) that fit the antithesis definition. 

People and characters can act in an antithetical manner to their beliefs.

Antithesis Examples in Behavior: 

• A character who says they love animals but wears real fur coats.
• Someone who says they are vegetarian but eats a big steak for dinner.
• A person who uses a “Shop Small” tote bag but does their holiday shopping at Walmart. 

In addition, characters in literary or scripted works, much like people, can be antitheses to each other in and of themselves. In fact, this is often how great villains are created.

Check out the video below to see more on writing great villains , and how antagonists can mirror or juxtapose protagonists . 

Page to Picture: How to Write a Villain  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Protagonists can be an “antihero,” or the villain of a story can be portrayed separately as a parallel to the protagonist; therefore, the protagonist and antagonist highlight each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and evil and benevolent qualities. Some classic examples of this pseudo-mirrored antagonist concept are: 

Snow White and the Queen

Batman and Joker

Dumbledore and Voldemort

As you can see, the antithesis is typically the ultimate antagonist, even if the character they are meant to parallel isn’t the protagonist, as is the case in the Harry Potter series. 

Both a strong example of antithesis and nuanced portrayal of complicated character relationships, the Harry Potter series showcases a number of moral ambiguities as they pertain to Dumbledore and Voldemort.

We imported the script into StudioBinder’s screenwriting software to see exactly how this juxtaposition is first established.

Read Full Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Script

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone masterfully establishes the characteristics that Harry and Voldemort share, but it also establishes similarities between Dumbledore and Voldemort.

Throughout the series, these shared traits influence Dumbledore and Voldemort in their objectives and decisions. 

For instance, in the Sorcerer’s Stone , we are introduced to how Voldemort and Dumbledore move through the world. Hagrid tells Harry early on about Voldemort’s rise to power: he was a wizard “who went as bad as you can go [...] anyone who stood up to him ended up dead.” Hagrid frames Voldemort as a powerful wizard, capable of massive destruction. 

Antithesis Example in Harry Potter  •   Read Full Scene

Alternatively, towards the end of the first film Dumbledore explains his tactics in his work with Nicolas Flamel on the Sorcerer’s Stone . “Only a person who wanted to find the stone—find it, but not use it—would be able to get it.” Dumbledore respects power and the laws of magic, and his actions reflect that. 

Further into the series, in Order of the Phoenix , we see what happens when Dumbledore’s tremendous abilities collide with Voldemort’s formidable power in their epic Ministry of Magic duel.

Voldemort’s spells all aim to destruct, whereas Dumbledore’s are equally amazing, but meant to disarm, distinguish, or defend. 

The series is a remarkable example of how antitheses can be essential to a story, and the respective backstories, unique abilities, and of course choices of Voldemort and Dumbledore prove it.  

Implementing Antitheses

How to use antithesis.

With all the ways you can implement and define antithesis, it’s good to have a number of tricks or rules of thumb to keep in your back pocket. Whether you’re writing a short story or your next feature screenplay, here are some things you can keep in mind. 

1. Aim for Moderation

If you’re using antithesis in the form of a rhetorical device, try to keep the number of antitheses to a minimum unless it’s a crucial character trait of the speaker. Using a similar literary device too often can leave your writing predictable or even annoying. The more you use a tool, like antithetical language, the less meaning it can have. 

2. Similar Structure

Keep the structure of your antithesis as similar as possible if you want to highlight the differences more intensely. And try to keep the phrasing itself balanced. Both variables of the equation don’t have to be exact, but the lyrical phrasing can help your antithesis shine and stick long after the read. 

3. Focus on Differences

Focus on contrast but remember to find ways to draw the parallels. How can the characters be compared to the point where their differences become obvious? How can their differences lead to conversation about how the characters may actually be similar? 

Antitheses via characters and sentence structure can assist in not just interesting writing, but memorable writing. They can make your message more understandable and retainable, which should be a top goal in any written work. You never want to give you reader a reason to stop reading.

So, now that you’ve learned more about how an antithesis can strengthen your work, you can implement it  into your next project like a pro.

After all, no guts, no glory. 

What is Irony?

Antithesis is a rhetorical device you can use in everyday speech. Much like an antithesis, we encounter several types of irony in everyday life, too. Keep reading to learn about the types of irony and how they’re used in TV and Film. 

Up Next: Irony Explained →

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Antithesis: Meaning, Definition and Examples

Figures of speech , otherwise known as rhetorical devices, are used in the English language to beautify and make your language look and sound a lot more effective rather than a literal presentation of information. Each figure of speech has its function and is meant to perform its roles giving the context a unique effect. In this article, you will learn about one such figure of speech called antithesis. Read through the article to learn more about what antithesis is, its definition and how it differs from an oxymoron. You can also check out the examples and analyse how it is written for an in-depth understanding of the same.

Table of Contents

What is antithesis – meaning and definition, what differentiates an antithesis from an oxymoron, some common examples of antithesis, frequently asked questions on antithesis.

An antithesis is a figure of speech that states strongly contrasting ideas placed in juxtaposition. They contain compound sentences with the two independent clauses separated by a comma or a semicolon , in most cases. However, there are also instances where the antithesis is a compound sentence with a conjunction . An antithesis is mainly used to portray the stark difference between the two opposing ideas.

Antithesis, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a contrast between two things”, and according to the Cambridge Dictionary, “a difference or opposition between two things”. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives a more explanatory definition. According to it, antithesis is “the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences”.

Knowing the difference between an antithesis and an oxymoron will help you comprehend and use both the rhetorical devices effectively. Take a look at the table given below to learn more.

Here are some of the most common examples of antithesis for your reference.

• Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
• Keep your mouth closed and your eyes open.
• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” – Charles Dickens
• “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
• “Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” – John Milton
• Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
• “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” – William Shakespeare
• Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.
• “To err is human; to forgive divine.” – Alexander Pope
• Money is the root of all evil: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.

What is antithesis?

An antithesis is a figure of speech that states strongly contrasting ideas placed in juxtaposition. They contain compound sentences with the two independent clauses separated by a comma or a semicolon, in most cases. However, there are also instances where the antithesis is a compound sentence with a conjunction.

What is the definition of antithesis?

What is the difference between antithesis and oxymoron.

The main difference between an antithesis and an oxymoron is that antithesis refers to the use of two contrasting ideas or thoughts conveyed in two independent clauses placed in juxtaposition, separated by a comma, a semicolon or a conjunction; whereas, the term ‘oxymoron’ refers to the use of two opposite words within a phrase to create an effect.

Give some examples of antithesis.

Here are a few examples of antithesis for your reference.

• “Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.” – Goethe
• “Folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” – Abraham Lincoln
• “Man proposes, God disposes.”
• Beggars can’t be choosers.
• Be slow in choosing, but slower in changing.

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Antithesis Examples

Antithesis is the term used to refer to an author's use of two contrasting or opposite terms in a sentence for effect. The two terms are set near each other to enhance or highlight the contrast in opposite meaning.

Sometimes, characters in literary works are the antithesis of each other. The two characters are shown as opposites in order to highlight the good qualities of one and the evil qualities of the other.

1. When he became the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong said that it was a " small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind."

2. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom , it was the age of foolishness ." Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

3. Snow White and the Wicked Queen in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfsare the antithesis of each other.

4. "To err is human ; to forgive, divine ." Alexander Pope

5. The poem "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost sets up a contrast between the terms "fire" and "ice".

6. "And let my liver rather heat with wine than my heart cool with mortifying groans. "The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare

7. Let's agree to disagree .

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10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

Welcome to New Words

It’s us. Hi. We’re the dictionary, it’s us. Everybody agrees (and not just at teatime )! And lest you think that it’s all chants and madrigals in our earbuds, we lexicographers are not immune to the occasional earworm , including those penned by a certain singer-songwriter you may be familiar with by the name of Taylor Swift . In fact, we are told that her songs often send listeners to our august pages to look up some of the more unfamiliar words featured in her song titles and lyrics. If you count yourself among such listeners, dear reader, then today might just be the best day. Here’s a list of 10 Swiftean words and some interesting facts about them. Are you... ready for it?

Clandestine

Song Title/Album: “illicit affairs” / folklore

Lyric: “And that’s the thing about illicit affairs / And clandestine meetings and longing stares”

Definition: done in a private place or way : done secretly

About the Word: Clandestine is an adjective that is often used as a substitute for secret and covert , and it is commonly applied to actions that involve secrecy maintained for an evil, illicit (as in “illicit affairs”), or unauthorized purpose. It comes to English by way of Middle French, from Latin clandestinus , which is itself from Latin clam , meaning “secretly.” Although people involved in clandestine activities tend to clam up when asked about them, the bivalve clam has no relation to the Latin clam , but comes instead from the Old English word clamm , meaning “bond” or “ fetter .”

Machiavellian

Song Title/Album: “Mastermind” / Midnights

Lyric: “I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian ‘cause I care”

Definition: using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something : clever and dishonest

About the Word: While inspiring an adjective (such as Swiftean ) may seem like a fine way to achieve linguistic immortality, it must be said that many words taken from people’s names are not as complimentary. Machiavellian —which describes things marked by cunning, duplicity , or bad faith—comes from the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), the author of the most famous treatise on bare-knuckled politics ever published, The Prince , which brought him a reputation as an immoral cynic and even a teacher of evil.

Incandescent

Song Title/Album: “ivy” / evermore

Lyric: “In from the snow / Your touch brought forth an incandescent glow”

Definition: strikingly bright, radiant, or clear

About the Word: Incandescent first lit up the English language toward the end of the 18th century, at a time when scientific experiments involving heat and light were being conducted on an increasingly frequent basis. An object that glowed at a high temperature (such as a piece of coal) was incandescent. By the mid-1800s, the incandescent lamp —aka the lightbulb—had been invented; it contains a filament which gives off light when heated by an electric current. Incandescent is the modern offspring of a much older parent, the Latin verb candēre , meaning “to glow" (which also gave us the word candle ), and today has several figurative senses, including “very impressive, successful, or intelligent” (as in “an incandescent concert performance”).

Song Title/Album: “Anti-Hero” / Midnights

Lyric: “Did you hear my covert narcissism / I disguise as altruism / Like some kind of congressman?”

Definition: feelings and behavior that show a desire to help other people and a lack of selfishness

About the Word: Altruism refers to a quality possessed by people whose focus is on something other than themselves, and its root reveals the object of those generous tendencies. Altruism comes from the French word altruisme , which in turn comes from autrui , meaning “other people.” In “Anti-Hero,” the song’s narrator suggests that they, like some politicians, are a do-gooder not out of the goodness of their heart, but to satisfy their ego. Seems rather Machiavellian!

Self-effacing

Song Title/Album: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” / Red (Taylor’s Version)

Lyric: “You who charmed my dad with self-effacing jokes”

Definition: not trying to get attention or praise for yourself or your abilities : modest

About the Word: To be self-effacing is to be modest or humble. Often that involves not taking oneself too seriously—being all too well aware of one’s flaws and faults and unafraid of poking mild fun at them. The “self-effacing” joke referenced in verse four of the extended version of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” would be just such a self-directed dig, even if we don’t know its nature—though if it appeals to Dad it could be a dad joke .

Song Title/Album: “The Albatross” / The Tortured Poets Department

Definition: a continuing problem that makes it difficult or impossible to do or achieve something

About the Word: Albatrosses are exceedingly large seabirds, some species having a wingspan as much as 11 feet across. They are magnificent gliders, capable of staying aloft for hours at a time without flapping their wings, and tend to remain almost entirely at sea, typically coming ashore only to breed. In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1798 poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner , the titular mariner kills an albatross that has been following his ship, bringing down a curse that leads to the death of all other crew members. As a punishment, the crew hang the dead bird from the mariner’s neck, and he remains alive to witness the ship’s fate unfold. This potent emblem led to the coining of a metaphorical meaning for albatross as something that causes anxiety or guilt or that burdens and encumbers.

At the time of this writing, Taylor Swift’s song “The Albatross” has not yet been released (as a bonus track on some editions of her album The Tortured Poets Department ), so it remains to be seen whether the song is about the literal seabird or something that causes anxiety or guilt. It’s possible also, we suppose, that Swift could be employing yet another sense of albatross , which in golf refers to a score of three under par made on a hole. We are not fortune tellers.

Antithetical

Song Title/Album: “Hits Different” / Midnights

Lyric: “Bet I could still melt your world / Argumentative, antithetical dream girl”

Definition: directly opposite or opposed

About the Word: The adjective antithetical and noun antithesis come from the Greek verb antitithenai (“to oppose”). The oldest sense of antithesis refers to a language pattern that contrasts parallel ideas, as in “action, not words” or "they promised liberty and provided oppression,” and antithetical originally referred to anything that was marked by such antithesis. For example, you could say “The phrase ‘action, not words’ is an antithetical construction.” It is more common, however, for antithesis to mean “the exact opposite” and for antithetical to mean “directly opposite,” as in “his shy demeanor seems antithetical to his dream of being a famous actor.” Usually antithetical is paired with to , as in the previous example, but in Taylor Swift’s song “Hits Different,” she seems to be using the word creatively in a way similar to oppositional .

Lyric: “Take the words for what they are / A dwindling, mercurial high”

Definition: very lively and quick, or changing moods quickly and often

About the Word: The Roman god Mercury was the messenger and herald of the gods and also the god of merchants and thieves (his counterpart in Greek mythology is Hermes ). He was noted for his eloquence, swiftness, and cunning, and the Romans named what appeared to them to be the fastest-moving planet in his honor. Mercurial comes from the Latin adjective mercurialis , meaning “of or relating to Mercury.” Mercurial means both “changing moods quickly and often” (as in “a mercurial personality”) and “very lively and quick” (as in “a mercurial wit”). In our reading, Swift’s use in “illicit affairs” seems closest to the “quick” sense, perhaps with shades of fleeting .

Song Title/Album: “the lakes” / folklore

Lyric: “Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?”

Definition: a sad poem or song : a poem or song that expresses sorrow for someone who is dead

About the Word

Both elegy and eulogy (used in the same “the lakes” lyric) may be used about writing or speech in remembrance of a person who has passed away, and this semantic overlap creates the potential for confusion. Elegy (which may be traced to the Greek word elegos , “song of mourning”) commonly refers to a song or poem lamenting one who is dead; the word may also refer somewhat figuratively to a nostalgic poem, or to a kind of musical composition. While eulogy is also commonly found referring to words about the deceased, its basic meaning, both in English and in the Greek language from which it was borrowed, is “praise.” Formed from the Greek roots eu “good” and logos “speech,” a eulogy is praise given for one who is either living or dead. If you are praising your partner’s unsurpassed beauty or commending the virtues of the deceased at a funeral, you are delivering a eulogy; if you are composing a lamenting reminiscence about a person who has long since passed, you are writing an elegy. If an elegy also happens to eulogize, then yes—that could certainly be construed as romantic, like, say a red rose growing up out of ice frozen ground.

Song Title/Album: “cardigan” / folklore

Lyric: “… I felt like I was an old cardigan / Under someone’s bed / You put me on and said I was your favorite”

Definition: a usually collarless sweater or jacket that opens the full length of the center front

About the Word: As sweaters, cardigans often evoke snuggly vibes and warm fuzzies , but the word cardigan has a more martial backstory. The garment was named after James Thomas Brudenell , 7th earl of Cardigan, who with his inherited wealth personally outfitted his military regiment with what came to be called cardigan jackets.

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Slow and sustainable: Austin fashion show displays ‘antithesis of fast fashion’

By Clara Snyder | Reporter

The Spring Slow Fashion Festival took place Saturday in Austin, showcasing looks from designers who use sustainable methods to produce clothing. Beginning in 2022, the festival has had a focus on finding unique ways to cultivate community around the slow fashion movement — a movement contrasting the fast fashion industry.

“Fast fashion” refers to mass-producing clothing in a quick and inexpensive way, incentivizing consumers to buy trending styles at a low price point. The industry accounts for 10% of annual global carbon dioxide emissions and has been linked to utilizing exploitative and unethical labor practices in order to make supply meet demand.

Leah Bury , one of the four festival founders, described slow fashion as the antithesis of fast fashion.

“Fast fashion encourages heavy consumption, rapid trend cycling, lots of waste, … [and] it creates the expectation that clothes aren’t meant to last long because you can just go and purchase more,” Bury said. “Slow fashion is the complete opposite of that.”

Bury said slow fashion places intentionality and care in the production of clothing by embracing alternative ways to create new fashion. Examples of slow fashion include shopping secondhand, swapping or rehoming unwanted clothing and recycling discarded clothing by using it to create a new item in a process called upcycling.

“Fast fashion has created an expectation that clothing is supposed to be dirt cheap when it’s not, and if it is cheap, the costs are being passed onto something else, whether that’s the planet or the people making it,” Bury said. “So a lot of what we want to do is educate people around all of the costs involved in fashion.”

The show began with a panel about circular living and having a sustainable lifestyle. One of the event panelists and Heartening founder Kelley Rytlewski said circular living stands in contrast to a linear economy that doesn’t consider a product once it has extended its useful life.

“[Circularity] begins with the end in mind — there is no waste,” Rytlewski said. “You start with what exists and what is already here. It’s a practice of intention and of ingenuity in every single aspect.”

Between two acts, the event showcased looks from nine clothing designers and included accessories from designers Junkyard Dog and Kizmet . Act one displayed stylings from UglyFlex , Defizm , reclaim. and YvieStyleIt , and it was followed by Faire Sauvage , Dear Ivy , Prior Waste , Futurekind studio and K.S. Garner in act two.

Kamdin Montagne , the 21-year-old founder and designer of Prior Waste, said she was very excited to be participating in the fashion show for the first time. Montagne is self-taught and began repurposing thrifted clothing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When quarantine happened and I had absolutely nothing to do, I started painting on jeans that I thrifted,” Montagne said. “Then, I had made so many things, so I was like, ‘Hey, does anybody want to buy this?’ And people actually did.”

After selling her designs at local markets and on Depop, Montange said she made the move to turn her work into a clothing brand in March 2023. Today, her designs include repurposing ties, jean waistbands and jean pockets into skirts and tops.

Since she isn’t a “cut-and-sew” designer who makes things from scratch, Montange said she is excited to be included in a fashion show that embraces her method of production.

“It really means a lot to me to be a part of this, because I didn’t think there was a space for designers like me doing what I’m doing,” Montange said. “I never really thought fashion shows were going to be something I would do. Since I rework stuff, sometimes people I’ll talk to don’t consider me as a designer.”

Montange said she believes in sustainability in fashion because there are already many amazing clothing pieces out there, and she loves breathing new life into those pieces. The other aspect of sustainable practices in fashion that she values is affordability.

“When I started, I just was a poor college kid who wanted to make stuff, but then I realized everyone who wants to buy this is probably also a broke college kid like me,” Montange said. “Making things out of old clothing that costs me little money to buy lets me keep prices super affordable and keep everything sustainable.”

Bury said one of the reasons they included “festival” in the name of the event is because it has a tone of celebration to it, and celebration guides a lot of what they want to do.

“Of course we want to educate people and bring people together, but we want to do it in a way that feels really inviting and celebratory of the amazing work that is already being done,” Bury said.

Although the event focuses on fashion and style, Bury said a lot of the lessons they are trying to teach are much more than just fashion.

“We think that slow fashion can be sort of a model [because] these principles apply to so many areas of life,” Bury said. “A lot of it comes down to caring about the impact that you have and working to have a better impact.”

For updates on future slow fashion festival events and shows, see its Instagram @slowfashionfestatx .

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks by President   Biden at a Campaign Event | Scranton,   PA

Carpenters Training Center Scranton, Pennsylvania

6:29 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Guys, you come up here.  Come on.  Come on.  Good to see you, buddy. PARTICIPANT:  Yeah, you too. THE PRESIDENT:  Come on. With the Bells and the Bidens, like all of you — my dad used to have an expression.  He’d say, “Family is the beginning, the middle, and the end” — “the beginning, the middle, and the end.”  (Addressing Megan Bell’s daughter, Eloise.)  And you need Secret Service guarding you.  (Laughter.)  But, folks, look, first of all, I want to thank the Carpenters Union.  They’ve been with me for my entire career.  They’ve been loyal to me, and I think I’ve been loyal to them.  (Applause.) Now, one of the things that she hadn’t told you is Tommy is — along with Larry — Larry, stand up.  This is Larry Orr.  Larry is another one of the — (applause) — he lived right across the gates in Marywood — and another guy named Charlie Roth, the four of us were inseparable. 

When — when things changed for my dad up in Scranton and lost his job, we moved back to Delaware, where he was from.  And when he originally — that’s where he came from — Delaware — to Scranton. And — and I’d come home, though, for every holiday, almost all summer.  And when I fell in love when I was in law school — actually, it wasn’t even law school; I was in college.  I went on spring break.  I had made $85 of — from a tax return.  (Laughter.)  And — oh, you think I’m kidding; I’m not.  (Laughter.) And my dad didn’t own but he ran an automobile dealership.  And so, I had a car, and I put five guys in the car.  They all chipped in to pay the way down.  We went to Lauderdale. Now, the problem is — I’m going to lose a lot of credibility with all of you — (laughter) — but I’m the only Scrantonian and the only Irishman you’ve ever met that’s never had a drink in his life because too many people have too many drinks in their life, in my opinion.  (Laughter.)  And so, we got down to Fort Lauderdale, and all everybody was doing is drunk most of the time.  And I found out that there was a possibility of being able to get on a plane for 20 bucks — $22 round trip to go to Nassau. So, I thought, “Well, there may be some nice girls in Nassau.”  (Laughter.)  The only reason we all came down — any rate.  So, I got on the plane, and I had two guys with me.  We had just finished spring football practice at the University of Delaware.  And I had been named as the likely starting safety that year and — next year.  And so, we started off, and a guy named — his nickname was Mi- — he was Mike McCrann.  We called him “Crash” McCrann.  He looked like Rock Hudson and acted like it.  (Laughter.)  And a guy named Fred Sears, who ran one of the biggest banks in Delaware later. And so, we walked into — we went to the British Colonial hotel.  We — actually, we found a bunch of guys from Michigan.  We slept on the floor of their place.  And — and we went to go to the beach.  Turns out, all the beaches in Nassau — public beaches, there’s none of the college girls.  They’re — you know, they — they’re all locals, and there’s not many people. So, we walked down to the beach this particular day — the first day we got there — and the British Colonial hot- — hotel had this chain-link fence that ran from the street all the way down into the water so you couldn’t cross into the — the hotel area.  And so, we wondered what the heck we were going to do. Turns out they — a bunch of folks going in and throwing their towels saying “British Colonial hotel” on it over the wi- — barbed wire — not barbed wire — chain-link fence.  So, I had an idea.  We each grabbed a towel, put it around us, and we walked in the front door — (laughter) — no, I’m serious; true story — of the British Colonial hotel.  And we walked in and we acted like — and you walked in, and you had the — the registration on the left and down the cent- — but straight ahead — like, from here, half again the distance from the back wall — was the glass looking out on the swimming pool and then beyond the swimming pool and onto the ocean.  And so, we just walked in like we belonged there and walked right out.  (Laughter.)  And I’m standing there, and we’re all looking around, and I saw this beautiful young woman.  I said, “I’m going to go talk to her.”  And old Crash McCrann, I nicknamed — he was a fullback — I said, “No, I am.”  I said — and Fred Sears, my buddy, flipped a coin.  I won.  (Laughter.) And so, I walked up, sat down on the end of the bench of the — and the sun was coming from — toward the water.  And it was later — and toward the water.  And I sat on the end of the chaise lounge, and I said, “My name is Joe Biden.  I’m from the University of Delaware.”  And she said, “My name is Neilia Hunter.  I’m from Syracuse.”  And I said hi, and we started to talk and just talking.  And I watched this — this yacht pull up in front.  I’m not — this is not a joke. Well, to me, it was a yacht.  It was, like, 40, 45 feet.  (Laughter.) And I see this guy with a white hat on, white, you know, uniform — not uniform — pants and the — and the shoes and the whole deal.  And he gets in a little dingy and he rows to shore.  And I’m just — I’m talking to her like — like you’re she, and I’m looking up.  And I watch the guy pull up, and he pulls a — the dingy up onto the beach.  And he starts walking toward us.  And I’m just watching him.  And he walks straight to us, and he looks down at Neilia, and he says, “Neilia, are we on for dinner tonight?”  (Laughter.) I thought, “Oh, man.”  (Laughter.) 

But what happened was he — she looked and she said, “Oh, I’m sorry” — it — it was the Wickwire family, a major highway contractor in New York — in Skaneateles, New York, in the state of New York.  And what — they were neighbors.  And she said, “No.”  She said, “I — Joe and I are going to go to dinner.”  (Laughter.)  And so, with that, he left, and she was mortified.  She said, “I’m so sorry, but I didn’t want to.”  I said, “Why don’t we?”  I had a total of $42 left.  (Laughter.)  But then, you could buy a McDonald’s hamburger for 19 cents or something.  (Laughter.) So, she said, “Well, I kn- — I know a place we can go.”  And she’s a very classy lady.  She picked a place she thought we co- — I could afford.  And so, we walked into this particular restaurant and sat down.  I ordered a hamburger because I didn’t have any money, and she — the classy woman she was, she ordered the same thing, like whatever it was. But anyway, we — and I was smitten by her.  I really was.  And, you know, sometimes there’s love at first sight.  This really was.  I was — my — I was just taken by her.  And she was really quiet, and she was lovely.  And one thing led to another, and she said — the bill came.  And the bill was $48.  (Laughter.)  And I had $23.  And I could feel under the table — I could feel this.  (The President rests his hand on an audience member’s knee.)  And I put my hand down, and she put 40 bucks in my hand.  (Laughter.)  Her father was fairly wealthy.  He was a Navy cook and an Auburn — if you know Auburn, New York, he had a large diner in Auburn, which was very profitable, and he — he also had the contracts to do Syracuse University.  Anyway, he was a — a fairly wealthy guy.  And so, I took it, and I paid.  I said, “I’m so embarrassed.”  She said, “Oh, it happens to my father all the time.”  (Laughter.) So, we’re walking back to the hotel she was staying at, and — and I swear to God, I hadn’t kissed her, I hadn’t done — we hadn’t done a single thing together.  And there was a chain and — that w- — post and chain divid- — stopping the parking lot from coming out of the — and so, like a horse’s tail, I was going to show — I jumped over the chain.  (Laughter.)  And I caught my ankle and fell.  (Laughter.)  Totally mortified.  She said, “Oh, that’s okay.  That’s — are you okay?”  I said, “Yes.”  And I got up, and I looked at her, and I know — and this wasn’t a joke — I looked at her.  I said, “You know, I think I’m going to marry you.”  I give you my word.  (Applause.) And she looked at me, and we hadn’t even kissed one another, and she said, “I think so.” 

From that time on, I quit the football team that year — that was spring practice — the next year, and I started commuting every single weekend.  My dad ran an automobile agency, and I made money by getting — there was a place called Manheim Auto Auction, where they — and I would drive to Manheim.  And back in those days in Delaware, you could not — you could not have a car on campus.  And so, a lot of the guys I was with, they were happy to get a chance to drive a relatively new car.  They paid $10 for every car we delivered back to Delaware. So, I’d get a van, take 10 guys up, get 100 bucks; I’d keep $50.  (Laughter.)  No.  And that’s how I’d go back and forth every single weekend — every single weekend. And — but sometimes it just happens.  Sometimes it just happens. And — and so, no man deserves one great love, let alone two.  When she was killed in that accident with my daughter as well, my two boys weren’t expected to make it.  And they were only just three and just four years old.  And what happened was that I got put on that 10 most-eligible bachelors list in America.  (Laughter.)  You got it man.  I thought it was a pretty cool thing.  (Laughter.) But I used to send more things to the Secret Service because I’d get women sending me pictures that I was afraid I’d get set up for.  (Laughter.)  And unlike the guy running, I didn’t take advantage of any of it.  (Laughter and applause.) 

Any rate, to make a long story short, all kidding aside, I — I would just give them to the Secret Service.  So, I decided I couldn’t — I really couldn’t date anybody because every time I’d go out with somebody — I had more yentas in Delaware than you can imagine — very nice to me.  And so, I just gave up.  And I get a call from my youngest brother.  He said, “Joe, I’ve got just the girl for you.”  And he was at the University of Delaware at the time, as this girl was.  She used to be nine years younger than me. Now she’s 25 years younger, but — (laughter) —  So, he said, “You’ll love her.  She doesn’t like politics.”  (Laughter.)  And I met her, and this third date I went out with her, I realized I was going to marry her.  No man deserves one great love, let alone two.  So, I’ve been an incredibly fortunate guy — incredibly fortunate.  And that’s why I kept coming back up to Scranton, because what would happen is I would drive up on — after I — I paid my guys their money, I’d drive up on Friday — through Scranton, up 81, up into Syracuse, next to Skaneateles Lake — and then go back.  And I’d always stop at my Uncle Jack’s house on the way back in Scranton. And, you know, everybody’s from Scranton, but no one ever leaves Scranton.  (Laughter.)  It’s in their — but any rate, I don’t know why the hell I told you that.  (Laughter.)  Except you reminded me. MS. BELL:  It was my fault.  I told (inaudible). THE PRESIDENT:  No, no, but — but, you know, look, folks, I’ve ran for — I — I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done.  It’s a pretty basic thing for me.  You may remember when I announced for president, I said I was running for three reasons, initially.  I said, one is to restore the soul of America.  We lost a sense of decency that was in the way we campaign and what people say and how they talk to one another.  And the second thing, I said I wanted to rebuild the middle class because when the middle class works, everyone works — everyone does better. I said, thirdly, I want to unite the country.  And I was, understandably, by the national press, viewed as I was — they’d give me credit for being a fairly significant United States senator and able to cross the aisle and get a lot done, but they thought I was extremely naive. I don’t know how we can lead the world when we can’t unite ourselves.  I really mean it.  I mean, so, we got a lot of work to do. And then I decided — my son Beau ended up going — volunteering to go to Iraq.  He was the attorney general of the state of Delaware.  And he came back — he — his — I was in, I think, 36, 38 times in Iraq and Afghanistan as a senator and as a vice president.  And — and he came back — he — his — his hooch — that’s where he slept — was only about 400 yards from a major burn pit.  And the burn pit is about the size of a football field — probably 80 yards long, 30, 40 yards wide — burning everything from human waste to oil and the rest. And just like the 9/11 firemen got — my son came back after a year with glioblastoma — stage four glioblastoma.  And — and I lost him.  And I didn’t — I wasn’t going to run again.  I really wasn’t.  Not a — I give you my word, I had no intention of running again.  And then along came — along came what happened down in Charlottesville.  And I talked to the mother who lost that daughter who was killed by these — coming out of a field, in the United States of America, in the year two thousand and — I guess it was ’16, ’17, ’18, in that range, but a little later — carrying torches, Ku Klux Klan, Nazi banners — I mean, literally Nazi swastikas, and — and marching through the streets. And my w- — my future opponent, my present opponent — they asked him what he thought of it.  He said there were “very good people on both sides.”  And I’m going to say something that may sound outrageous to you, but I thought — I thought he’s the antithesis of everything I believe, and I thought I could beat him.  And that’s why I ran. And so, what’s at stake now, folks, is our democracy.  It’s not hyperbole.  You may remember, when I got the nomination, the first thing I did, I made a speech at the — at the — in Convention Hall — excuse me, in — in Philadelphia.  And I made a speech on democracy. And a lot of people said, “What’s he doing that for?”  Because it is at stake.  We’ve never had this kind of a campaign before. And so, for me, it’s not about whether or not you’re left, right, or center — although it matters to my — my philosophy of government — but it matters about whether or not you’re going to abide by the basic rules, you’re going to have a sense of decency.  You — I’ve never thought I’d see a time when I’m going through a — a neighborhood or a rural town that’s in the west and see big signs that s- — have a Trump sign in the middle that says “F Biden” and having a little kid standing with his middle finger — seven years old, eight years old. Well, I promise, it happens all the time.  It’s not who we are.  So, the point I’m making is this.  We are — think of — think of it this way: If the United States wasn’t leading the world, who could step up to do it?  No, not a — not a joke.  What other country?  What other country? I’ve known every major world leader for the last 35 years.  I know them all by their first names — not a joke — not because I’m important; because of the nature of my job when I was Foreign Relations Committee and a senior senator. And, you know, the rest of the world looks to us.  I walk in a room — no matter whether it’s the G7 or the G20, whatever it is — and they all look to me — not me, Joe Biden; America — because they know we are the essential nation.  And, you know, Madeleine Albright wrote about us being the essen- — she was absolute- — absolutely right.  Absolutely right. And we have a chance.  We have an incredible chance to change the direction of the world without using American forces.  We have enormous chance. So, I said before I ran, I was going to write a book on inflection points in American history, where the things that happen in a very short period of time can determine what the next four, five, six decades look like.  We have a chance.  We have a chance to change the dynamic in a way that we haven’t had before.  The post-war era is over.  It’s over.  What’s going to follow? So, I — when I started the book — and I decided to run instead.  I started the book, I talked about how technology has changed the direction in the world.  Were it not for Gutenberg inventing the print- — the printing press, there would be no unity in Europe.  They wouldn’t have been able to communicate with one another at the period of time.  All the way to the — it’s a silly example — Nixon would probably be president but for a televised debate where he perspired a great deal. And — (laughter) — no, I — no, I’m not joking.  I’m thinking these things matter. Even to now, look what’s happening on TikTok.  Look what’s happening.  What are the source of information?  These press people are all honest and decent, and they — they take real risks.  And not a lot — and they don’t all like me.  But they — (laughter) — no, I’m serious.  This is — they’re entitled to that.  But they take real risks. But, folks, think about it.  Where do people get their news these days?  All the data shows hardly anybody watches the nightly news, in relative terms.  Who reads the New York Times and the — and the Wall Street Journal and the — and so on?  I mean, what percentage of people?  So, where did they get their news?  And it’s so much — so easy to just flat-out lie and not know what’s — what’s true.  So, we got a lot at stake here — a lot at stake.  But for me, it gets down to a basic thing.  My dad used to say — for real; my word — he’d say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than poli- — is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.  It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it — and mean it.” That’s what this is all about.  The va- — the vast majority of the American people just want an even chance — just a shot.  Just a shot.  And it breaks down into everything from taxes to philosophy. But with your help, I’ve been able to get a lot done that no one thought could get done.  We’ve been able to get a lot done.  But there’s so much more we have to do, but we can do it.  But we have to win.  And it gets down to old-fashioned politics, gets down to knocking on doors, gets down to telling stories about why you’re for who you’re for.  It gets down to being able to have — pick these people to put yard signs up.  It matters. Last point I’ll make — and I’m talking too long, and I apologize.  (Laughter.) The last point I’ll make is: We have over 100 — is it 120 or 160?  What’s it up to now?  Individual contributors? AIDE:  Oh, 1.6 (inaudible). THE PRESIDENT:  1.6 million individual contributors; 550,000 more than before then — since we started, new contributors.  You know what the — of — 97 percent of those contributors contributed less than $200 — 97 percent.  There’s a real groundswell going on because of you.  It matters.  It matters.  And people are contributing $5, $10, $30, $50.  And it’s having a real impact and real effect.  We have opened more campaign offices because of you all than he — he doesn’t — hasn’t opened any that I’m aware of.  I’m not being facetious.  I’m not being facetious. We’re also in a situation where we’re in a position that we’re generating a paid staff.  That’s significant.  And we’re growing in every state. 

I’ve been to every — every single — every single of the toss-up states so far.  And guess what?  If you knock anybody who knows anything about polling, it’s awful hard to poll these days.  Because — no, I’m serious.  But guess what?  Even in the polls that are being used now, we’re — we’re m- — we’re ahead in — in 35 polls, but — by the way — (applause) — it’s just about continuing to push.  And, again, one simple proposition: How do we give hardworking Americans an even shot, an even chance — an even chance to make it?  Just that.  Nothing more than that.  And how do we move people together again?  And I think we can do it.  I’m confident that we’re going to be able to do it.  And I feel very good about where we are because of all of you.  But thank you for what you’re doing.  Again, I — I didn’t mean to tell you so much.  (Laughter.)  But thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.) MS. FRIEDMAN:  Well, Mr. President, I think we have a few folks eager to ask you questions, if we may.  THE PRESIDENT:  Sure. MS. FRIEDMAN:  Absolutely.  Sam. MR. KUCHWARA:  Mr. President, what made you run for president? THE PRESIDENT:  A simple proposition, and I was — I asked that question — I just came from my old home where I was raised in Scranton.  A simple proposition that — just simply, people just want a shot.  They just want an even shot and just to be able to realize the possibility that what they care about will matter with what will happen.  What made me run for president: In fact, when I moved from Scranton — my dad was born in Balti- — Baltimore.  They say Baltimore — (pronounced in an accent) — (laughter) — in Baltimore.  And his dad was with the American Oil Company.  And they opened up the — the American Oil Company, used — AMOCO, it became.  And the Blaustein family owned it.  He opened up York, Pennsylvania, then he opened up Scranton.  And they moved to Scranton when my dad was a junior in high school.  And, you know, it’s — and so, I was born in Scranton, and then we moved back to Delaware.  When we moved back to Delaware, one thing that I hadn’t seen in Scranton — there were very few African Americans in Scranton when I was here in Lackawanna County — very few.  But in Delaware, we have the eighth largest Black population as a percent of population of any state in the nation.  And in addition to that, we’re one of those border states that couldn’t — that — it was a slave state that fought on the side of the North because it couldn’t figure how to get to the South.  (Laughter.)  No, I’m serious.  So was Maryland.  So was Tennessee.  Anyway — And so, I remember when we moved to Delaware, we lived on — in what later became Section 8 housing.  It was a long way — but very, very modest apartment complex was being built in Claymont with about 400 apartments.  And — and I remember that they’d drive — Mom would drive us up to school in the morning because it was too dangerous to — it was a — the Philadelphia Pike was an — was an access highway.  It wasn’t I-95, which is now the way to get there.  But she was worried us crossing the streets.  So, I was in third grade.  My sister was in first grade.  And they’d drop us in the parking lot.  And we used to watch — and I couldn’t understand why this little Catholic school I went to, Holy Rosary — why this bus would go by when we pulled in the parking lot that had what was referred to then as — all full of “colored” children.  There were no whites in it.  And even though the major school — public school, Claymont High School, was a right-hand turn three blocks up.  I remember asking my mother why they couldn’t come — why — why’d that bus go all the way downtown?  And she said, “Because they’re not allowed to go to school with white kids.”  “Not allowed to go to school with white kids.”  And that had an enormous impression on me.  And it got me engaged in the Civil Rights Movement.  I wasn’t in any great shape, but I was a public def- — I became a public defender after getting a job with a fancy law firm. 

My city of Wilmington, Delaware, was the only city in America occupied by the military for 10 months, with the National Guard standing on the corner with drawn bayonets for 10 months when Dr. King was assassinated because of the riots that occurred.  And so, I got involved trying to change the Democratic Party and turn it into more — the conservative party on race was the Democratic Party in Delaware.  And the Republican Party, which was the party of DuPont, was very, very restrictive on economic issues, but it was more open.  So, I joined a group of senior members of the — of the Democratic Party to try to reform the Democratic Party and move it to more of a northeastern Democratic Party.  The governor of Delaware could choose to be part of the Southern Governors’ Conference or the Northeast.  And the Democrats often chose to be part of the Southern Governors’ Conference. 

In the southern part of the state there is a canal that goes across the top of my state, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal that cuts u- — bisects the state.  And when you just go below that canal — and I’m not — this is not a criticism — they talk at you like this.  Eastern Shore of Maryland.  (Pronounced in an accent.)  Very southern in the way they talk and the way they move and everything. And so, I got involved in trying to change the party.  And one thing led to another, and I remember they came to me and said they wanted me to run — the local folks.  Trying to get people to run — just show up as Democrats in areas they — that they weren’t able to win.  And so, I got a call — I was a public defender part-time in a — and I had a law practice.  I was starting alone.  And with that, I remember a group of people from Elsmere, Delaware — the Democratic organization — came to see me, wanted me to run for the state senate.  And I said, “I can’t do that because I’m just starting a law firm, and I can’t go to Dover.”  And they came back about three days later and said, “Well, why don’t you run for the county council?”  I said, “I can’t do that.”  And they said, “Come here.”  And they walked me to my window in my office and it looked across — and they said, “They meet there twice a week at night.”  (Laughter.) So, they wanted me to run in a district no Democrat had ever run.  And I said, “Well, at least I can do my job.  I can go out and run.  Make — demonstrate that we’re running.”  And the problem is I asked my sister who has graduated with honors from Delaware, who’s smarter than me and ran my campaign.  And she won a campaign where a Democrat had never won.  And all of a sudden, I was in the county council.  And — but the Democra- — the Republicans saw something in me I didn’t see, for — it’s the God’s truth.  They saw in me that I was going to do something beyond that.  I was elected to a four-year term.  And what they did was they reapportioned me to a two-year term.  So, it was either up or out.  And I was — I was happy with that.  I was prepared to leave and do my practice and work in the party.  And one thing led to another, and I won’t bore you with the detail, but one day I showed up at an off-year convention, and I was in — I was in the motel after — the local motel getting changed after the afternoon session, go back to the evening session.  And I’d come down with some young activists — they were a — a little older than me, but still young activists — who were involved in trying to reform the party.  And I was in one of those 8-by-10 bathrooms — you know they have a shower, a toilet, and a sink.  And I got a towel on me and shaving cream, and I hear, “ Bam, bam, bam ,” at my door really loudly.  And I wonder, “What the hell is that?”  I thought it was this guy Bob Cunningham who had a radio show and a cou- — couple of other guys.  So, I say, “Okay, okay, guys.”  And I walked to the door and opened it up and standing there was the former governor of the state of Delaware, Elbert N. Carvel, a big guy, about six-five.  Talked at you like this .  (Pronounced in an accent.)  (Laughter.)  And the state representative who got defeated four years earlier as a Democratic state rep — who was retired — and one of the — from the family that had more so — more senators appointed than any other family in American history, the — the Tunnells — and a former retired Justice and the — and the state chairman.  And they said — and I’m standing in a towel with shaving cream on my face.  (Laughter.)  And with that, they looked at me and said — they come in and said, “We’re — we’re coming — we just had dinner.  We want to talk to you.”  And I walked in, and I said, “Okay, gentlemen.”  And I ran to the bathroom thinking I could put something on.  (Laughter.)  All I could do is take off the shaving cream.  I had on a towel.  I walked out — two headboards nailed to one side of the wall, the desk to the other side.  And I’m st- — they’re — he’s sitting on the end of the bed.  And I’m sitting down, and they said, “Joe, we just had dinner, and we think you should run for the Senate.”  I said, “Run?  Man, I’m not old enough.”  And the former Justice looked at me he said, “Joe, you obviously didn’t do well in constitutional law.”  (Laughter.)  “You don’t have to be — you have to be 30 to be sworn in, but you can be elected at any age.  You’ll be — 17 days after, you’ll be eligible.  One thing then I — I don’t know about you, but all of us who have some teacher or some professor we really had faith in.  Well, my political philosophy professor at Delaware — which was between Dov- — Newark, Delaware — between Dover and my home — was one of those guys.  And I called him, and I said, “Can I stop by and see you?”  And I remember seeing him and asking him my — a question: What he thinks I should do.  He said, “Joe, remember what Plato said.”  I’m thinking, “What the hell did Plato say?”  (Laughter.)  Seriously, it’s an absolutely true story.  He said, “Joe, the penalty good people pay for not being involved in politics is being governed by people worse than themselves.”  (Laughter.)  And I was opposed to the Vietnam War.  Anyway, one thing led to another.  I ended up running not with any enthusiasm as I started.  But we had the same kind of thing of — just a lot of young people and people who hadn’t been deeply involved.  Just — there was a — we had a picnic for our volunteers at the end of the summer.  And there was ads on the radio, “Do not take I-95 South.  Biden is having a picnic.  There was no accident.”  (Laughter.)  No, I’m serious.  (Laughter.)  Nixon won by 60 percent of the vote.  We won by a rousing 3,100 votes.  But my point is, it wasn’t planned.  I love reading these biographies of me that “Biden knew he was going to run for president.  He knew it was going to happen.”  But look, folks, it matters — it matters what we do.  You wouldn’t be here.  You wouldn’t be here doing it — forget me.  I mean, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t think a lot was at stake.  And we have enormous opportunities — enormous opportunities.  But I know that probably over-answers your question but — (laughter) — MS. FRIEDMAN:   Amazing.  Mr. President, thank you so, so much.  Hasn’t this been amazing?  (Applause.)  7:00 P.M. EDT

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