“This is the beginning of the end.” Consider and think about the meaning of that statement. Don’t you find it quite weird? It makes sense, yet at the same time, it doesn’t make sense. Or in a particular context, say a ceremony, the statement is true yet at the same time false. It is true in the sense that perhaps the speaker of the words is beginning the last session or program of the ceremony or activity. It is false because the beginning cannot possibly be the end. That’s what we call a paradox. You are possibly saying, “a definition of the word paradox will do me a little good.” Don’t worry because we are going into that right away.

The definition of a paradox

Some writers will say a paradox is a statement that is both true and false at the same time. Others will say a paradox is a statement that contradicts itself. You know what? Both of the definitions are right. But this is how I define a paradox. A paradox is a self-contradictory statement (logically). A paradox is a statement that goes contrary to one’s anticipations.

We use paradox in our everyday conversations, just like most of the other literary devices, without knowing. Here are some of the examples:

You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t

If you don’t risk anything, you risk everything

The only constant is change

The louder you are, the less they hear you

Perhaps you will understand this literary device better after seeing how some famous figures have used it in their speeches. Here are examples of speeches with the use of paradox.

“If you wish to preserve your secret, wrap it up in frankness.” (Smith 1863)

“The swiftest traveler is he that goes afoot.” (Thoreau 1854)

“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” (C.S. Lewis)

“Me, I always tell the truth. Even when I lie.” (Scarface)

“If everyone is special, no one is.” (Disney’s The Incredibles)

“I know one thing, that I know nothing.” (Socrates as according to Plato)

“Men work together… Whether they work together or apart.” (Robert Frost)

“It’s weird not to be weird.” (John Lennon)

Great writers have also used paradox in their work. Let’s take a look at some of their examples:

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the character Hamlet says that “I must be cruel to be kind.” This statement is a paradox.

There are also two types of paradox, which are literary paradox and logical paradox. For literary paradox, there is a clear contradiction of statements but the contradiction does not affect logic. For example in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the character Hamlet makes sense logically when he says he has to be cruel for him to be kind. You have to be cruel for your kindness to be seen. Therefore this is not a logical paradox. However, cruel and kind are two contradicting things, that’s why we call this a literary paradox.

For a logical paradox, the contradiction in the statement affects logic. The most common example of a logical paradox is seen in a Chinese folk tale. In the tale, a blacksmith creates a spear that could pierce anything, any object. He then creates a shield that could not be pierced by anything and could handle any attack. When a young boy asks him what would happen if he tried to pierce the shield with the spear, the blacksmith could not answer the boy. This is a logical paradox.

A logical paradox is also seen in time travel stories or movies when a character travels back in time and intends to or kills the first character in his or her bloodline, say their grandfather or great-grandfather. It defies logic because this will mean the character will cease to exist (or should never have existed).

The difference between a paradox and an oxymoron

While an oxymoron applies to two contradicting words, a paradox applies to a whole statement.

The uses of a paradox

The writer can use a paradox to create humor or irony. Take a look at the following example:

Nobody goes to Brown’s barbershop; it’s always crowded. This statement is true and false at the same time. Nobody will go to a crowded barbershop. But at the same time, if nobody goes there then how is the place crowded? The writer could also mean him and his friends by “nobody.” Meaning no one among his friends goes to Brown’s barbershop.

The writer can use paradox to introduce a conflict and make the reader think deeply about the story.

Sources

literarydevices.net/paradox/

https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/paradox
https://writingexplained.org/grammar-dictionary/paradox

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-paradox-1691563

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-paradox.html