Antithetic parallelism is a form of
parallelism where the meaning of two or more excerpts of text are observed, although directly linked by providing the same meaning from differing perspectives. This type of
parallelism is used in order to create repetition of meaning as a technique for cognitive reinforcement, thus more effectively communicating the meaning of the text.
Examples
Examples of antithetic parallelism are found in
Hebrew poetry {{Short description, Disambiguation page
Hebrew poetry is poetry written in the Hebrew language. It encompasses such things as:
* Biblical poetry, the poetry found in the poetic books of the Hebrew Bible
* Piyyut, religious Jewish liturgical poe ...
,
especially in
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of B ...
of the Bible:
The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. (
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of B ...
34:10)
More specifically, antithetical parallelism is defined as text where the meaning in the first part of the
couplet
In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...
contrasts with an opposite theme contained in the second part (see above). The use of opposites clarifies both extremes. In
poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
the use of opposites can bring a sharper contrast to an image and provide a greater focus to the desired message. It is often marked by the use of the conjunction ‘but’, placed between two statements to juxtapose them and helps the reader or to view both the positive and negative perspectives of the text.
Antithetic parallelism is not to be confused with 'synonymous' or 'synthetic'
parallelism, which reflect repeated and expansive ideas respectively.
See also
*
Parallelism (rhetoric)
Parallelism (or thought rhyme) is a rhetorical device that compounds words or phrases that have equivalent meanings so as to create a definite pattern. This structure is particularly effective when "specifying or enumerating pairs or series of like ...
*
Rhetorical device
In rhetoric, a rhetorical device, persuasive device, or stylistic device is a technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading them towards considering a topic from a perspective, ...
References
{{Reflist
Grammar
Rhetoric