Question

What is a parallel antithesis in a sentence?

Answer 1

Hint: Antithesis means the complete opposite of something or someone. Parallel means something that occurs at the same time as some other thing, precisely, corresponding to it.

Complete answer:
Parallel antithesis means two opposite things mentioned parallel. In the parallel antithesis, we emphasize two opposite things, together.

Parallel construction of a sentence implies that two or more contrasting/different ideas/schemes/objects are given in a sentence where each idea is presented in the same grammatical structure. For e.g, I like to dance, sing and study. In this example, the grammatical structure of all the verbs is the same i.e. simple present but they are different hobbies.

Antithesis is a figure of speech that is mainly used for rhythmic writing which tells 2 contrasting ideas. For e.g. the quote of Neil Armstrong ‘ small step for man, a great leap for mankind.’ In this sentence, both clauses are contrasting ideas using the opposites ‘small’ and ‘great’. But the grammatical structure of both the sentences is not the same i.e. there is the absence of parallel construction of sentences. Therefore, antithesis sentences are not always necessarily written in parallel construction.

Parallel antithesis is usually expressed through parallel constructed sentences. In combination with antithesis, the parallel construction of sentences only shows two or more ‘opposite’ ideas/schemes/objects. For e.g. Get busy living or get busy dying. In the given sentence both the clauses start with ‘get busy’ and end with the opposite words ‘living’ and ‘dying’.

The meaning of the sentences framed as parallel antithesis does not tell the literal meaning; instead, they convey a literary meaning.

Note: There are two more figures of speech other than antithesis that show opposites. They are juxtaposition and oxymoron. However, they are different. Oxymoron shows two contrasting words together in a clause/phrase, juxtaposition shows the contrast between two ideas in the sentence which are not necessarily opposites and antithesis is a type of juxtaposition which specifically contrasts two opposites.