Why is antithesis persuasive?
1 Answer
Dec 9, 2017
Antithesis is a literary device using two parallel statements with similar meaning but one is the converse of the other.
This figure of speech is found throughout the Bible, especially Proverbs. For example, "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins." This sentence contains two statements with similar meaning, but it is the converse of each other.
To answer your question, antithesis, as with all other stylistic devices, can be used as a persuasive linguistic element, but it completely depends on how you use it. It can be persuasive in the sense that it restates the same idea in a different way, emphasizing it. Moreover, since it uses a parallel structure, it creates a stronger impression in the readers' mind.
