Antithesis is a figure of speech which refers to the juxtaposition of opposing or contrasting ideas. Martin Luther King also used anaphora in his iconic I Have a Dream speech. What is antithesis? Clear definition and great examples of Figures of Speech. 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. Antithesis comes from the Latin and Greek anti- meaning against and –tithenai meaning to set. ‘This antithesis of two different worlds truly serves as a classification of groups, i.e., insiders and outsiders.’ ‘So that modern monopoly is not a simple antithesis, it is on the contrary the true synthesis.’ ‘The new antithesis forms out of elements of the original contradiction that didn't make it … This article will show you the importance of Figures of Speech and how to use them. It can be used in a variety of ways depending on how it is being used, whether that be in the rhetorical, as a literary device or in a figure of speech. Parallelism of expression serves to emphasize opposition of ideas". Shakespeare takes a more subtle approach to antithesis here, portraying Brutus as an honorable - yet slightly naive - man. In the broadest sense, a “figure of speech” is a use of language that contributes to a writer’s goals. Figure of speech definition, any expressive use of language, as a metaphor, simile, personification, or antithesis, in which words are used in other than their literal sense, or in other than their ordinary locutions, in order to suggest a picture or image or for other special effect. Antithesis Infographic Antithesis (an-TIH-theh-sis): Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences.. Ex #1: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" -- Jim Elliot Antithesis. An antithesis must always contain double meanings due to the So antithesis means setting opposite, or contrast. See more. Antithesis can be defined as "a figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure. Here are some notable examples of antithesis in literature and film: In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus and Mark Antony were painted in opposite colors. Antithesis is used in writing or speech either as a proposition that contrasts with or reverses some previously mentioned proposition, or when two opposites are introduced together for contrasting effect. As we have seen, antithesis can be used in various ways in order to compare and contrast two opposing ideas. As a figure of speech it’s used when two opposites are introduced in the same sentence, for contrasting effect. Interestingly, the contrast isn't stark.