Antithesis

AntithesisDefinitionAntithesismeanscontrastingideassharpenedbytheuseofoppositemeanings.Itisafigureofspeechinwhichthewriterdeliberatelyuseoppositeordifferentwords,phrasesorclausesinparallelstructuresoastodiscloseandemphasizethecontrastorcontradictionbetweentwothingsortwoaspectsofanentity.Antithesisisoftenusedintwopatternsasfollows1.Contrastingoneaspectofonethingwiththeotheraspectofthesamething.Wefindourselvesrichingoods,butraggedinspirit,reachingwithmagnificentprecisionforthemoon,butfallingraucousdiscordonearth.(R.M.Nixon)我们发现自己商品丰富，却精神贫乏，能抵达月球不差毫秒，却陷入地球的无序争吵。2.Contrastingonethingwithsomethingelsetoseetheirdifference.Thecowarddoesitwithakiss,thebravemanwithasword.（OscarWilde）懦夫用吻扼杀，勇士挥剑砍伐。FourForms2.Phrases4.Sentences1.Words3.Clauses1.WordsKnowledgemakeshumble,ignorancemakesproud.博学使人谦逊,无知使人骄傲。Thebravemen,livinganddead,whostruggledhere,haveconsecratedit,faraboveourpoorpowertoaddanddetract.(AbrahamLincoln:GettysburgAddress)这是那些活着的或已经死去的、曾经在这里战斗过的英雄们才使这块土地成为神圣之土,我们无力使之增减一分.2.PhraseTheendofpassionisthebeginningofrepentance.盛怒的结束就是悔恨的开始。3.ClauseAndso,myfellowAmerican,asknotwhatyourcountrycandoforyou—askwhatyoucandoforyourcountry.(JohnF.Kennedy:InauguralAddress)因此，美国同胞们，不要问国家能为你们做些什么、而要问你们能为国家做些什么。4.SentenceCraftymencontemnstudies;simplemenadmirethem;andwisemenusethem.(FrancisBacon:OfStudies)多诈的人藐视学问,愚鲁的人羡慕学问,聪明的人运用学问。RhetoricalEffects1.使用antithesis这一修辞格，可以使作者对事物的判断准确有力，揭示事物本质，刻画人物生动形象，入木三分。Inordertoprocureaquantityoffalse,perishablegoods,hehassoldtheonlytrue,lastinggood,hisownindependence.(GilbortHighet:DiogenesandAlexander)为了攫取这些虚假浮华的东西，他出卖了自己的独立，这惟一真实长久的东西。2.可使作品语言风趣幽默。Dickinson:(againpoundingthedesk)No,sir,Englishmen!Franklin:(Hehasbeenasleep,hischinonhischest;nowaneyeopens.)Please,Mr.Dickinson—butmustyoustartbanging?Howisamantosleep?(Laughter)Dickinson:Forgiveme,Dr.Franklin,butmustyoustartspeaking?Howisamantostayawake?(PeterStoneandShermanEdwards:1776)3.作品运用antithesis修辞格，可以揭示事物内部对立统一的辩证关系，不但加强了语势，而且因为句式平分均匀，读起来朗朗上口，记忆深刻。Itwasthebestoftimes,itwastheworstoftimes;itwastheageofwisdom,itwastheageoffoolishness;itwastheepochofbelief,itwastheepochofincredulity;itwastheseasonofLight,itwastheseasonofDarkness;itwasthespringofhope,itwasthewinterofdespair;wehadeverythingbeforeus,wehadnothingbeforeus;wewereallgoingdirecttoHeaven,wewereallgoingdirecttheotherway.(CharlesDickens:ATaleofTwoCities)Contrast,Parallelism,和Antithesis之间的区别1.Contrast不要求结构相同或相似，语言单位不要求在同一个语法层次上；Antithesis必须要求结构相同或相似；Parallelism一般要求结构相同和相似。2.构成Contrast的语言成分必须是两个；构成Antithesis的语言成分往往是两个；构成Parallelism的语言成分是两个或者两个以上，三个是普遍现象。3.Contrast表达的语义相反；Antithesis语义相反或相对；Parallelism语义相近或相关。