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Oxymorons
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Key Examples in Les Miserables
Volume 5, Book 4: Javert Derailed
Explanation and Analysis—Error in the Dogma:
When Jean Valjean saves Javert at the barricades and subsequently lets him go free, Javert's entire ethical belief system crumbles before his eyes. With a paradox, the narrator illustrates Javert's bewilderment:
To be obliged to confess this to oneself: infallibility is not infallible, there may exist error in the dogma, all has not been said when a code speaks, society is not perfect, authority is complicated with vacillation, a crack is possible in the immutable, judges are but men, the law may err, tribunals may make a mistake! To behold a rift in the immense blue pane of the firmament!
Related Themes:
