Opposing Forces – Saturday Mix, 3 July 2021

Welcome to the Saturday Mix, 3 July 2021!

This week we are dipping our toes into the pool of OPPOSITES. Our challenge is all about “opposing forces” and the use of antithesis in our writing. You will need to use the two opposing words in your response – which can be poetry or prose.

Our words this week are:

– native and foreign

– mountain and valley

You may be asking yourself, How can I use antithetical statements in my writing?

Luckily, Kat from Literary Devices has some examples for you.

Common Antithesis Examples
Some famous antithetical statements have become part of our everyday speech and are frequently used in arguments and discussions. Below is the list of some antithetical statements:

You are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.
Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.
Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit.
Man proposes, God disposes.
Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
Money is the root of all evils: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.

Example of Antithesis in Literature
In literature, writers employ antithesis not only in sentences but also in characters and events.

Charles Dickens’ novel ” A Tale of Two Cities” provides an unforgettable antithesis example:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

The contrasting ideas, set in parallel structures, markedly highlight the conflict that existed in the time which was discussed in the novel.

Source: LiteraryDevices Editors. “Antithesis” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. https://literarydevices.net/antithesis/ (accessed July 3, 2021).

Good luck with your ‘Opposing Forces’ – I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Don’t forget to tag ‘Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie’, ‘Saturday Mix’, and hashtag #OpposingForces.

As always, make sure you link your fabulous creation to the helpful Mister Linky.