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Difficulty: Very hardPoetic Imagery and Figurative Language

Read the lines below and answer the question that follows:

"His honor rooted in dishonor stood,
And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true."

Which poetic device is primarily exemplified by the phrase 'faith unfaithful'?

  1. OxymoronAnswer
  2. B
    Paradox
  3. C
    Metaphor
  4. D
    Antithesis

Answer

The phrase 'faith unfaithful' exemplifies an oxymoron because it directly pairs two contradictory words side-by-side.
The correct option identifies oxymoron, which is a figure of speech wherein two contradictory terms are placed side-by-side (such as 'faith' and 'unfaithful') to create a striking rhetorical emphasis on complex emotional or moral conflict.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the grammatical structure of the phrase 'faith unfaithful'.
The phrase places two contradictory terms—'faith' (loyalty/belief) and 'unfaithful' (disloyal)—directly adjacent to each other.
Identifying the spatial and syntactic relationship between contradictory elements determines whether the device operates at the word level or sentence level.
2
Distinguish between word-level juxtaposition and broader propositional contrast.
Adjacent contradictory words constitute an oxymoron, whereas a full sentence or clause containing a seemingly impossible truth constitutes a paradox.
This structural distinction separates an oxymoron from a paradox or antithesis.

Key Concept

Oxymoron vs. Paradox in Poetic Imagery
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Topics

Poetic Imagery and Figurative Language

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