Read the following prose extract:
"When the former minister returned to his ancestral village after decades in power, he found himself surrounded by a crowd of wealthy beggars—men whose bank accounts overflowed even as their moral integrity had completely withered away. Sitting beneath the shade of the ancient baobab tree, he remarked bitterly to the village elders, 'Indeed, the only absolute certainty in our modern political landscape is that everything is entirely uncertain.'"
Which pair of literary devices is illustrated by the expressions "wealthy beggars" and "the only absolute certainty... is that everything is entirely uncertain" respectively?
- Oxymoron and paradoxAnswer
- BParadox and oxymoron
- CMetaphor and simile
- DTone and mood
Answer
Oxymoron and paradox
The phrase 'wealthy beggars' places two diametrically opposed words side-by-side to create a sharp contrast, which defines an oxymoron. In contrast, the sentence 'the only absolute certainty... is that everything is entirely uncertain' is a full proposition that appears self-contradictory yet expresses a genuine truth regarding political instability, which defines a paradox.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Distinguishing Oxymoron from Paradox in Prose Stylistics