What does paradox mean in poetry

Logical paradoxes have been used for centuries to demonstrate the fallibility of human logic. So when a character combines disparate elements, it seems very lifelike and three-dimensional. Such paradoxes can also lend mystery to a story, which helps to make it more compelling.

This is a nice literary paradox, but not a logical one. The character Hamlet, however, combines disparate attributes of kindness and cruelty, so his personality is loosely paradoxical. A Chinese folk tale tells of a blacksmith who created the best armor and weapons in the world.

He once created a spear that could pierce any object. He then created a shield that could deflect any attack. When a young boy asked him what would happen if he tried to pierce the shield with the spear, the blacksmith realized he could not answer.

A man approaches a wall 10 feet away. To get there, he must first go half the distance 5 feet , then half the remaining distance 2. Therefore in order to reach the wall he must complete an infinite number of actions , which is impossible , before he can reach the wall.

Therefore it is impossible to reach the wall. In other words, the underlined portion is not a logically valid step, and therefore there is no genuine logical paradox, but rather a simple logical error. In an episode of Futurama , Fry one of the main characters travels back in time to the s, where he comes face-to-face with his own grandfather, Enos.

Finally Fry accidentally causes Enos to be destroyed by a nuclear test. In the television show House , the main character is a rude, narcissistic, and abrasive man who constantly alienates those around him.

Thus, he combines a gruff, mean exterior with a deep sense of compassion and morality. I close my eyes so I can see Fugazi, Shut the Door. However, this is merely a literary paradox or an oxymoron, since it employs a double entendre. Terms: self-fulfilling prophecy, dilemma, irony, oxymoron and juxtaposition. Because time-travel paradoxes are so common in popular culture, we often confuse them with self-fulfilling prophecies.

However, traveling or looking forward in time can produce a self-fulfilling prophecy. A scientist peers into the future and sees a terrible apocalypse. Many people confuse paradox and oxymoron as literary devices or find them interchangeable. Both of these terms reflect apparent contradictions when it comes to ideas and phrasing. However, a paradox involves a larger scope than an oxymoron. Paradox is a statement or group of statements that seems to be self-contradictory as to what is logical, yet delivers the message of an inherent plausibility, truth, or meaning.

An oxymoron, however, is a combination and juxtaposition of two words that contradict each other, but serve as a sound or logical figure of speech. Whereas oxymoron is a contradiction in terms, paradox is made up of contradictory phrases or sentences.

However, both oxymoron and paradox can achieve similar effects as a means of manipulating language through opposing words and ideas to create deeper meaning. As a literary device, paradox functions as a means of setting up a situation, idea, or concept that appears on the surface to be contradictory or impossible.

However, with further thought, understanding, or reflection, the conflict is resolved due to the discovery of an underlying level of reason or logic. This is effective in that a paradox creates interest and a need for resolution on the part of the reader for understanding.

This allows the reader to invest in a literary work as a means of deciphering the meaning of the paradox. Paradox is dependent upon two elements: 1 a statement or situation which initially appears contradictory; 2 the statement or situation that appears contradictory must, after consideration, be a logical or well-founded premise. Here are some ways that writers benefit from incorporating metaphor into their work:.

Paradox is an excellent literary device as a means of setting up conflict in a work of literature. A paradoxical situation or idea in a literary work creates tension and potential suspense for the reader. The same words would often otherwise read as ordinary and unremarkable when placed in a different combination or context.

Some types of paradox in poetry are meant to convey a tone of irony as well as lead to reader contemplation on the subject of a certain poem. This kind of irony from a paradoxical poem normally generates feelings of intrigue in readers' minds and causes them to read with a greater amount of focus as well as a deeper level of contemplation. Certain uses of paradox in poetic works form the distinctive characteristics that set a given poem apart from others.

These written contradictions can be as simple as short phrases or as complex as multiple extended verses with intricate metric schemes.

Long and extended narrative poems sometimes contain many paradoxes within the same work of literature.