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Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal a deeper or hidden truth... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to... read full definition
Key Examples in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Chapter 17
Explanation and Analysis—Noisy Silence:
Bruno accidentally lets slip that he knows there are children living in Auschwitz, briefly dumbfounding his father and sister. Boyne uses an oxymoron to convey the tension at the table in the aftermath of Bruno’s revelation:
A silence followed this remark, but it wasn't like a normal silence where it just happens that no one is talking. It was like a silence that was very noisy. Father and Gretel stared at him and he blinked in surprise.
Related Themes:
