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Antithesis
(an-TIH-theh-sis):
Figure of balance in which two contrasting ideas are
intentionally juxtaposed, usually through
parallel structure; a contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases,
clauses, or sentences. Ex: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" -- Jim Elliot Ex: Lloyd Braun: "Serenity now; insanity later." -- from Seinfeld episode "The Serenity Now" |
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"I have a dream that my
four little children will one day live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content
of their character. I have a dream today!"
-- Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have a Dream |
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"The world will
little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did here."
-- Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (delivered by Jeff Daniels) |
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"...although the surface
appears to be...very, very fine-grained as you get close to it. It's
almost like a powder...Okay, I'm going to step off the LEM now.
That's one small step for [a] man; one giant leap for
mankind."
-- Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Moon Landing Speech |
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"Those of us who loved
him and who take him to his rest today pray that what he was to us and
what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As
he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he
touched and who sought to touch him:
'Some men see things as they are and say why.
I dream things that never were and say why not.'"
-- Edward Kennedy, Eulogy for Robert F. Kennedy Note: In this case there are two different, successive antitheses |
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"We observe today
not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom,
symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, signifying
renewal as well as change."
-- John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address |
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"I want to urge you, as many of you as can, to visit our country, and invite members of our Congress to visit you. Let them understand how the world looks from your perspective. Let them see how you do your jobs. Tell them what you're worried about and where you disagree with us. And give us a chance to build that base of common experience and mutual trust that is so important to our future together...We must have a sense of responsibility for the future. We are not destined to be adversaries. But it is not guaranteed that we will be allies." -- William Jefferson Clinton, Address to the Russian Duma |
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"We find ourselves
rich in goods but ragged in spirit, reaching
with magnificent precision for the moon but falling into
raucous discord on earth. We are caught in war,
wanting peace. We're torn by division,
wanting unity." -- Richard M. Nixon, Inaugural Address Note: In this case there are four different, successive antitheses |
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