What Is a Paradox?
A paradox is a seemingly self-contradictory proposition, which upon further exploration reveals a truth or a deeper meaning that isn’t apparent. Paradox, like metaphor, is both a figure of speech and a literary device commonly used by writers to improve their writing and intrigue their readers. Besides the literary paradox used by authors, paradox is a crucial philosophical topic that is widely discussed and applied by philosophers too.
Definition of Paradox
The Cambridge online dictionary defines paradox as “a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics.”
Examples of paradox:
- War is the only way to peace.
- Failure is the path to success.
- Silence speaks louder than words.
- It was the beginning of the end.
- The second sentence is false. The first sentence is true
Types of Paradoxes
There are two types of paradoxes in English, which are:
Logical Paradox
A logical paradox is something that defies logic. It goes round and round in a loop without reaching any resolution or conclusion. One of the most famous logical paradoxes is the “chicken and egg” paradox. If the chicken came first, then where did the egg the chicken came from come from? There is no conclusion to this conundrum, which makes it a classic logical paradox.
Examples of logical paradox:
1. Jourdain’s Paradox
“The sentence on the back side of this card is true.” But on the card’s back side the statement reads: “The sentence on the front side of this card is false.”
Explanation: If the first statement is true, then the second statement is true too. But if the second statement is true, then the first statement is false and vice versa. Because this paradox goes on and on in a loop, it’s a classic example of logical paradox.
2. The Socratic Paradox
“All I know is that I know nothing.”
Explanation: It is not possible to know nothing and at the same time know something (which is knowing that he knows nothing), which makes the statement a paradox.
3. The Liar Paradox
“All Cretans are liars.”
Explanation: The above statement is credited to Epimenides the Cretan. If all statements made by Cretans are false, then, since Epimenides was a Cretan, his statement is false (i.e., not all Cretans are liars). This too, like Jourdain’s Paradox, goes on and on in a loop.
Literary Paradox
Literary paradox is a commonly used paradox in literature to reveal a deeper meaning hidden in a statement that contradicts itself.
Examples of paradox in literature:
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The above line is a paradox because some animals can’t be more equal than others when it is already stated that all animals are equal.
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
1984 by George Orwell
The totalitarian government, in the story, is in total control of its citizens, requiring them to be completely obedient to the government. The above lines point at people’s lack of ability to differentiate right from wrong which has resulted from total conformity. The citizens have been conditioned to believe what’s bad for them is good for them, which is paradoxical.
“I have to be cruel in order to be kind.”
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Cruelty is the opposite of kindness, which makes the above line a paradox.
Paradox and Other Literary Devices
English grammar has several literary devices that are similar to paradox and are often confused with paradox. Although they seem similar, there is a fundamental difference between them. The difference between paradox and:
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a phrase that pairs two words that contradict each other.
Examples:
- Pretty ugly
- Original copy
Irony
When the actual meaning of a statement or action is different from the evident meaning, then it is known as irony.
Examples:
- As soft as a brick
- Fat chance
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is a literary device that compares and contrasts ideas.
Examples:
- Chaos/Calm
- Static/Changing
Antithesis
Antithesis is a figure of speech that places two exact opposite ideas beside each other.
Examples:
- “Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” – John Milton
- “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
Several writers use paradox as their choice of writing technique to add complexity to writing. Paradoxes not only help reflect upon the nature of duality, but they also help put an idea forward in an unconventional way.
