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Difficulty: HardLiterary Devices and Figurative Language

Read the passage below carefully:

"The old judge looked down at the assembly and declared, 'The law is a rigorous master, yet in its strict bondage we find our only true freedom.'"

Which literary device is illustrated in the clause 'in its strict bondage we find our only true freedom'?

  1. ParadoxAnswer
  2. B
    Oxymoron
  3. C
    Irony
  4. D
    Metaphor

Answer

Paradox
The correct response identifies the expression as a paradox because it presents a seemingly contradictory premise—that submission to strict constraint ('bondage') produces genuine liberty ('freedom')—which, when interpreted contextually, conveys a profound legal and philosophical truth.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure and literal meaning of the target clause.
The clause pairs 'strict bondage' with 'true freedom', presenting two opposing concepts within a single proposition.
Identifying apparent logical contradictions is the key first step in classifying complex figures of speech.
2
Evaluate whether the contradiction functions at the word level or full statement level and if it resolves to a deeper truth.
The statement forms a complete thought expressing a philosophical principle—that legal boundaries create order, which enables true societal liberty—rather than merely placing two opposing words side by side.
A self-contradictory statement that expresses a valid underlying truth is defined as a paradox.

Key Concept

Paradox versus related figures of speech
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Topics

Literary Devices and Figurative Language

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