Antithesis emphasizes the meaning and importance of an idea by pointing readers to its exact opposite, helping them better understand and appreciate the idea. And by using parallelism, antithesis provides your prose with rhythmic and lyrical qualities that make an expression memorable. In this article, we explore the meaning and efficient usage of antithesis in crafting remarkable prose.

What is Antithesis?

Antithesis is a literary device that juxtaposes two contrasting ideas through parallel grammatical structure. Antithesis, which means opposite, comes from Greek for “setting opposite.” It points out when something or someone is in direct disparity or the opposite of another thing or person. As a literary and rhetorical device, antithesis effectively pairs opposite ideas in a single expression by utilizing a parallel grammatical structure.

Examples of Antithesis in Literature

Antithesis is a very common literary device, which has been featured in literature for a long time. This is in part due to its concise, memorable, and rhythmic effect. Here are some famous examples of antithesis in prominent literary writings:

John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667). "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav'n."

Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism (1711). “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”

William Shakespeare, Hamlet (1603). "Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment."

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859). "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."

1 Samuel 17:45, King James Bible (1611). Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

How to Use Antithesis

Antithesis can be tricky, but you can follow these steps to ensure efficient usage:

Step one: don't force it. Allow antithesis to appear in places where it is naturally supposed to be. You shouldn't set out to write with the express intention of including antithesis. When you come to a point in your prose where a comparison needs to be made to emphasize an idea, you can apply an antithesis there. If you try to force antithesis into your writing, you might fudge what you mean to say or make it fuzzier.

Step two: learn through parallelism. You can hone your skill in writing antithesis by learning what parallel structures are and how to create them. A parallel structure involves using the same word types and grammatical formats in two parts of a sentence. For example: "When he goes to school, she goes to the market." Here the structure is " pronoun — 'goes to' — noun." Again, "Give her your money and dish her your meal." The structure here is "verb — "her" — noun."

Step three: apply parallelism in writing antithesis. Once you know how to write parallelisms, you can employ the same principle in writing a sentence with two contrasting parts. For example:

"That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." — Neil Armstrong.

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." — John F. Kennedy.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." — Nelson Mandela.

Step four: use sparingly. It is best to use antithesis just a little in your writing, especially if you are writing prose. Too much of it may sound forced and dull.