Antithesis

In Rhetorica ad Herennium Book IV and the section about the figures of thought, the example of Antithesis stood out to me. On page 255 it says, “Antithesis occurs when the style is built upon contraries” and it give many examples, one including “when all is calm, you are confused; when all is in confusion, you are calm.” This example, along with the several other examples listed, reminded me of something you would read on a fortune cookie: some words of wisdom or a vague prophecy.

Since style is often associated with pathos and “concerns the artful expression of ideas”, according to the online rhetoric, provided by Dr. Gideon Burton of Brigham Young University, I can see how antithesis would play its part. Contradictory statements are sure to affect an audiences’ pathos while still expressing an idea in a tasteful way. Contradictory statements, like the ones listed on page 255, play an appeal to my pathos because I begin to question which contradiction is correct, if any. My pathos also becomes puzzled by what the contradiction is really trying to say, if anything or if it is just some line to get me thinking with no real answer. I think this method is not as frequently used today, or even back in 84 B.C.E when Rhetorica ad Herennium was first written, because of how perplexed it could leave an audience. But then again if the point of a speech or written work were meant to confuse/puzzle the audience then this would be a good form of thought to use. Even if I can only connect this use of antithesis to fortune cookies, I’m sure there are other modern day connections that could be made, it is interesting to see how this form of thought and how the forms of diction also discussed are still apart of style today.