Antithesis

Antithesis is the side by side placement of structurally parallel words, phrases or

clauses for the purpose of contrast (examples 1-3). It can also be used to describe a
character who presents the exact opposite as to personality type or moral outlook to
another character in a particular piece of literature (example 4)

3. “It was the best of times, it was 2. We must learn to live together as brothers
the worst of times, it was the age or perish as fools.
of wisdom, it was the age of
-Martin Luther King Jr.
foolishness, it was the epoch of
belief, it was the epoch of (Speech in St. Louis, Missouri, March 22, 1964)
incredulity, it was the season of
Light, it was the season of
Darkness, it was the spring of
hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we
had nothing before us, we were all
going direct to Heaven, we were
all going direct the other way”

-Charles Dickens

(A Tale of Two Cities)

4. CHARACTERS

a. Dumbledore and Voldemort (Harry

Potter)
b. Theoden and Denethor (Lord of the
Rings)
c. Aslan and the White Witch (The
Chronicles of Narnia)
d. Dorothy Gale and the Wicked Witch of
the West (Wizard of Oz)
1. “Give me liberty, or give me
death!”

-Patrick Henry

(American Revolutionary War)

Source: http://literaryzone.com/?p=137