Using literary devices is one tactic to make your writing more interesting to readers. The paradox is one of the most powerful tools you can use, thanks to the surprise element that it brings.
What is a paradox?
A paradox is any statement that seems to contradict itself, but after giving it some thought, it actually makes sense. Writers and speakers use this to push the audience to think deeper about a given idea, which usually results in a fresh insight or perspective.
For example, take a look at this statement that George Bernard Shaw the playright is famously quoted as saying: “Youth is wasted on the young.” When you first hear it, you’ll likely raise your eyebrows: youth is the essence of being young. How can it be “wasted”?
But when you really think about it, the paradox actually makes sense, because the lack of wisdom among the youth may result in their “wasting” their prime years, the time when they have the most energy and vibrancy. Older people only realize this in hindsight, and possibly with much regret.
Examples of Paradox in Everyday Use
Paradox isn’t only for literature. We actually use much of it in our daily lives. Take a look at some of the most common examples:
- the more you give, the more you receive
- the only constant is change
- less is more
- do the one thing you think you can’t do
- he sees the end from the beginning
- like a cloud that doesn’t bring rain
Examples of Paradox in Literature
The classics are rife with paradox, which is probably one reason why they’re so much more interesting to read! Here are some of the most famous lines in literature that use paradox:
Example #1. Socrates (quoted by Plato)
I know one thing, and it’s that I know nothing.
True wisdom is knowing that we don’t know as much as we ought. We are ignorant when we think we know everything. This is why this line by Socrates is so poignant in meaning: yes, he’s known as a wise man, and he is wise to know this one thing: that he actually knows nothing!
Example #2. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Cowards die may times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.
In this line, Shakespeare gives us a very rich picture of courage, and the lack of it. He describes cowards as dying many times before they actually die in the physical sense—mentally, emotionally, their running away from things means that they are as good as dead and not really living.
Example #3. Animal Farm by George Orwell
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
In Animal Farm, the animals wage a rebellion against their master, the farmer. Goaded on by the bigs, they believe that life will be better when they themselves are in control. Little do they know that the pigs have a different plan.
When the farmer is out of the picture, the pigs slowly come to power, and they set up this intricate list of “commandments,” one of which is this line: all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Apparently, they used this “commandment” to show their supremacy over all the other animals, who are so confused by everything they’re saying that they willingly submit to their leadership.
Example #4. Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
“Rilla, the Piper will pipe me ‘west’ tomorrow. I feel sure of this. And Rilla, I’m not afraid. When you hear the news, remember that. I’ve won my own freedom here—freedom from all fear. I shall never be afraid of anything again—not of death—nor of life, if after all, I am to go on living. And life, I think, would be the harder of the two to face—for it could never be beautiful for me again. There would always be such horrible things to remember—things that would make life ugly and painful always for me. I could never forget them. But whether it’s life or death, I’m not afraid, Rilla-my-Rilla, and I am not sorry that I came.
Paradox may also be portrayed in whole scenes and not just in one line. In this passage, Walter is off to fight the Great War, after having struggled with joining the army because of his struggle with fear and lack of courage. Here, he is writing a letter to Rilla. The paradox is that he won his freedom from fear right in the battlefront. This creates a much richer picture than if he had never been afraid in the first place.
Another paradox in this passage is when Walter says that, for him, life is harder for him to face than death. When you really think about it, almost all of us are more afraid of death than life. But in this case, he adds the explanation why: because life would be full of horrible memories for him, having been through the trenches in the war.
Example #5. Jesus, in the Gospel according to John
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
This is considered one of the most difficult teachings of Jesus, and forms the foundation for the Christian faith: a call to lay down one’s life in service of others. When you first read it, it seems impossible for a person to “hate” their life and end up keeping it.
But when you take a look at the description of the seed that needs to “die” before producing life, which is another paradox, it starts to make sense. Indeed, seeds “die” as they are buried in the ground, and through that process, they sprout and produce many more seeds.
Function of Paradox
The paradox is a great tool to bring out once in a while, and it’s not just limited to one-liners: you can actually create a paradoxical situation in your writing. For example, a character may come to a point where he must go against the law in order to preserve order. This causes the audience to think deeply: is it worth it? Does the end justify the means?
Throwing your readers a curve ball once in awhile through the use of paradox is a surefire way to get their attention, and challenge them to think deeper. Try this and other literary devices to make your writing richer and more layered in meaning.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 17 of the Most Common Literary Devices Every Reader and Writer Should Know
- Extended Metaphors Explained: Definition, Purpose, and Examples from Literature
- 5 Tips for Improving Your Descriptive Writing
- What Is Rhetoric? Definitions and Examples to Make Your Writing More Effective
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
