antithesis 5

Antithesis Definition

What is antithesis? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Antithesis is a figure of speech that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas, usually within parallel grammatical structures. For instance, Neil Armstrong used antithesis when he stepped onto the surface of the moon in 1969 and said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." This is an example of antithesis because the two halves of the sentence mirror each other in grammatical structure, while together the two halves emphasize the incredible contrast between the individual experience of taking an ordinary step, and the extraordinary progress that Armstrong's step symbolized for the human race.

Some additional key details about antithesis:

• Antithesis works best when it is used in conjunction with parallelism (successive phrases that use the same grammatical structure), since the repetition of structure makes the contrast of the content of the phrases as clear as possible.
• The word "antithesis" has another meaning, which is to describe something as being the opposite of another thing. For example, "love is the antithesis of selfishness." This guide focuses only on antithesis as a literary device.
• The word antithesis has its origins in the Greek word antithenai , meaning "to oppose." The plural of antithesis is antitheses.

How to Pronounce Antithesis

Here's how to pronounce antithesis: an- tith -uh-sis

Antithesis and Parallelism

Often, but not always, antithesis works in tandem with parallelism . In parallelism, two components of a sentence (or pair of sentences) mirror one another by repeating grammatical elements. The following is a good example of both antithesis and parallelism:

To err is human , to forgive divine .

The two clauses of the sentence are parallel because each starts off with an infinitive verb and ends with an adjective ("human" and "divine"). The mirroring of these elements then works to emphasize the contrast in their content, particularly in the very strong opposite contrast between "human" and "divine."

Antithesis Without Parallelism

In most cases, antitheses involve parallel elements of the sentence—whether a pair of nouns, verbs, adjectives, or other grammar elements. However, it is also possible to have antithesis without such clear cut parallelism. In the Temptations Song "My Girl," the singer uses antithesis when he says:

"When it's cold outside , I've got the month of May ."

Here the sentence is clearly cut into two clauses on either side of the comma, and the contrasting elements are clear enough. However, strictly speaking there isn't true parallelism here because "cold outside" and "month of May" are different types of grammatical structures (an adjective phrase and a noun phrase, respectively).

Antithesis vs. Related Terms

Three literary terms that are often mistakenly used in the place of antithesis are juxtaposition , oxymoron , and foil . Each of these three terms does have to do with establishing a relationship of difference between two ideas or characters in a text, but beyond that there are significant differences between them.

Antithesis vs. Juxtaposition

In juxtaposition , two things or ideas are placed next to one another to draw attention to their differences or similarities. In juxtaposition, the pairing of two ideas is therefore not necessarily done to create a relationship of opposition or contradiction between them, as is the case with antithesis. So, while antithesis could be a type of juxtaposition, juxtaposition is not always antithesis.

Antithesis vs. Oxymoron

In an oxymoron , two seemingly contradictory words are placed together because their unlikely combination reveals a deeper truth. Some examples of oxymorons include:

• Sweet sorrow
• Cruel kindness
• Living dead

The focus of antithesis is opposites rather than contradictions . While the words involved in oxymorons seem like they don't belong together (until you give them deeper thought), the words or ideas of antithesis do feel like they belong together even as they contrast as opposites. Further, antitheses seldom function by placing the two words or ideas right next to one another, so antitheses are usually made up of more than two words (as in, "I'd rather be among the living than among the dead").

Antithesis vs. Foil

Some Internet sources use "antithesis" to describe an author's decision to create two characters in a story that are direct opposites of one another—for instance, the protagonist and antagonist . But the correct term for this kind of opposition is a foil : a person or thing in a work of literature that contrasts with another thing in order to call attention to its qualities. While the sentence "the hare was fast, and the tortoise was slow" is an example of antithesis, if we step back and look at the story as a whole, the better term to describe the relationship between the characters of the tortoise and the hare is "foil," as in, "The character of the hare is a foil of the tortoise."

Antithesis Examples

Antithesis in literature.

Below are examples of antithesis from some of English literature's most acclaimed writers — and a comic book!

Antithesis in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

In the famous opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens sets out a flowing list of antitheses punctuated by the repetition of the word "it was" at the beginning of each clause (which is itself an example of the figure of speech anaphora ). By building up this list of contrasts, Dickens sets the scene of the French Revolution that will serve as the setting of his tale by emphasizing the division and confusion of the era. The overwhelming accumulation of antitheses is also purposefully overdone; Dickens is using hyperbole to make fun of the "noisiest authorities" of the day and their exaggerated claims. The passage contains many examples of antithesis, each consisting of one pair of contrasting ideas that we've highlighted to make the structure clearer.

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 —in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Antithesis in John Milton's Paradise Lost

In this verse from Paradise Lost , Milton's anti-hero , Satan, claims he's happier as the king of Hell than he could ever have been as a servant in Heaven. He justifies his rebellion against God with this pithy phrase, and the antithesis drives home the double contrast between Hell and Heaven, and between ruling and serving.

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

Antithesis in William Shakespeare's Othello

As the plot of Othello nears its climax , the antagonist of the play, Iago, pauses for a moment to acknowledge the significance of what is about to happen. Iago uses antithesis to contrast the two opposite potential outcomes of his villainous plot: either events will transpire in Iago's favor and he will come out on top, or his treachery will be discovered, ruining him.

This is the night That either makes me or fordoes me quite .

In this passage, the simple word "either" functions as a cue for the reader to expect some form of parallelism, because the "either" signals that a contrast between two things is coming.

Antithesis in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Shakespeare's plays are full of antithesis, and so is Hamlet's most well-known "To be or not to be" soliloquy . This excerpt of the soliloquy is a good example of an antithesis that is not limited to a single word or short phrase. The first instance of antithesis here, where Hamlet announces the guiding question (" to be or not to be ") is followed by an elaboration of each idea ("to be" and "not to be") into metaphors that then form their own antithesis. Both instances of antithesis hinge on an " or " that divides the two contrasting options.

To be or not to be , that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them ...

Antithesis in T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets"

In this excerpt from his poem "Four Quartets," T.S. Eliot uses antithesis to describe the cycle of life, which is continuously passing from beginning to end, from rise to fall, and from old to new.

In my beginning is my end . In succession Houses rise and fall , crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass. Old stone to new building , old timber to new fires ...

Antithesis in Green Lantern's Oath

Comic book writers know the power of antithesis too! In this catchy oath, Green Lantern uses antithesis to emphasize that his mission to defeat evil will endure no matter the conditions.

In brightest day , in blackest night , No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power—Green lantern's light!

While most instances of antithesis are built around an "or" that signals the contrast between the two parts of the sentence, the Green Lantern oath works a bit differently. It's built around an implied "and" (to be technical, that first line of the oath is an asyndeton that replaces the "and" with a comma), because members of the Green Lantern corps are expressing their willingness to fight evil in all places, even very opposite environments.

Antithesis in Speeches

Many well-known speeches contain examples of antithesis. Speakers use antithesis to drive home the stakes of what they are saying, sometimes by contrasting two distinct visions of the future.

Antithesis in Patrick Henry's Speech to the Second Virginia Convention, 1775

This speech by famous American patriot Patrick Henry includes one of the most memorable and oft-quoted phrases from the era of the American Revolution. Here, Henry uses antithesis to emphasize just how highly he prizes liberty, and how deadly serious he is about his fight to achieve it.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take: but as for me, give me liberty or give me death .

Antithesis in Martin Luther King Jr.'s Oberlin Commencement Address

In this speech by one of America's most well-known orators, antithesis allows Martin Luther King Jr. to highlight the contrast between two visions of the future; in the first vision, humans rise above their differences to cooperate with one another, while in the other humanity is doomed by infighting and division.

We must all learn to live together as brothers —or we will all perish together as fools .

Antithesis in Songs

In songs, contrasting two opposite ideas using antithesis can heighten the dramatic tension of a difficult decision, or express the singer's intense emotion—but whatever the context, antithesis is a useful tool for songwriters mainly because opposites are always easy to remember, so lyrics that use antithesis tend to stick in the head.

Antithesis in "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash (1981)

In this song by The Clash, the speaker is caught at a crossroads between two choices, and antithesis serves as the perfect tool to express just how confused and conflicted he is. The rhetorical question —whether to stay or to go—presents two opposing options, and the contrast between his lover's mood from one day (when everything is "fine") to the next (when it's all "black") explains the difficulty of his choice.

One day it's fine and next it's black So if you want me off your back Well, come on and let me know Should I stay or should I go ? Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble If I stay it will be double ...

Antithesis in "My Girl" by the Temptations (1965)

In this song, the singer uses a pair of metaphors to describe the feeling of joy that his lover brings him. This joy is expressed through antithesis, since the singer uses the miserable weather of a cloudy, cold day as the setting for the sunshine-filled month of May that "his girl" makes him feel inside, emphasizing the power of his emotions by contrasting them with the bleak weather.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside I've got the month of May Well I guess you'd say, What can make me feel this way? My girl, my girl, my girl Talkin' bout my girl.

Why Do Writers Use Antithesis?

Fundamentally, writers of all types use antithesis for its ability to create a clear contrast. This contrast can serve a number of purposes, as shown in the examples above. It can:

• Present a stark choice between two alternatives.
• Convey magnitude or range (i.e. "in brightest day, in darkest night" or "from the highest mountain, to the deepest valley").
• Express strong emotions.
• Create a relationship of opposition between two separate ideas.
• Accentuate the qualities and characteristics of one thing by placing it in opposition to another.

Whatever the case, antithesis almost always has the added benefit of making language more memorable to listeners and readers. The use of parallelism and other simple grammatical constructions like "either/or" help to establish opposition between concepts—and opposites have a way of sticking in the memory.

Other Helpful Antithesis Resources

• The Wikipedia page on Antithesis : A useful summary with associated examples, along with an extensive account of antithesis in the Gospel of Matthew.
• Sound bites from history : A list of examples of antithesis in famous political speeches from United States history — with audio clips!
• A blog post on antithesis : This quick rundown of antithesis focuses on a quote you may know from Muhammad Ali's philosophy of boxing: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

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Definition of Antithesis

Examples of antithesis in everyday speech, common examples of antithesis from famous speeches, examples of proverbs featuring antithesis, utilizing antithesis in writing, antithesis and parallelism, antithesis and juxtaposition, use of antithesis in sentences  , examples of antithesis in literature, example 1:  hamlet (william shakespeare).

Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice ; Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.

Example 2:  Paradise Lost  (John Milton)

Here at least We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.

Example 3:  Fire and Ice  (Robert Frost)

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.

Example 4: The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives so that nation might live.

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

Function of Antithesis

Synonyms of antithesis, post navigation.

• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• How to Use Antithesis

I. What is an Antithesis?

“Antithesis” literally means “opposite” – it is usually the opposite of a statement, concept, or idea. In literary analysis, an antithesis is a pair of statements or images in which the one reverses the other. The pair is written with similar grammatical structures to show more contrast. Antithesis (pronounced an-TITH-eh-sis) is used to emphasize a concept, idea, or conclusion.

II. Examples of Antithesis

That’s one small step for a man – one giant leap for mankind .  (Neil Armstrong, 1969)

In this example, Armstrong is referring to man walking on the moon. Although taking a step is an ordinary activity for most people, taking a step on the moon, in outer space, is a major achievement for all humanity.

To err is human ; to forgive , divine . (Alexander Pope)

This example is used to point out that humans possess both worldly and godly qualities; they can all make mistakes, but they also have the power to free others from blame.

The world will little note , nor long remember , what we say here, but it can never forget what they did  (Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address )

In his speech, Lincoln points out that the details of that moment may not be memorable, but the actions would make history, and therefore, never entirely forgotten.

Antithesis can be a little tricky to see at first. To start, notice how each of these examples is separated into two parts . The parts are separated either by a dash, a semicolon, or the word “but.” Antithesis always has this multi-part structure (usually there are two parts, but sometimes it can be more, as we’ll see in later examples). The parts are not always as obvious as they are in these examples, but they will always be there.

Next, notice how the second part of each example contains terms that reverse or invert terms in the first part: small step vs. giant leap; human vs. divine; we say vs. they do. In each of the examples, there are several pairs of contrasted terms between the first part and the second, which is quite common in antithesis.

Finally, notice that each of the examples contains some parallel structures and ideas in addition to the opposites. This is key! The two parts are not simply contradictory statements. They are a matched pair that have many grammatical structures or concepts in common; in the details, however, they are opposites.

For example, look at the parallel grammar of Example 1: the word “one,” followed by an adjective, a noun, and then the word “for.” This accentuates the opposites by setting them against a backdrop of sameness – in other words, two very different ideas are being expressed with very, very similar grammatical structures.

To recap: antithesis has three things:

• Two or more parts
• Reversed or inverted ideas
• (usually) parallel grammatical structure

III. The Importance of Verisimilitude

Antithesis is basically a complex form of juxtaposition . So its effects are fairly similar – by contrasting one thing against its opposite, a writer or speaker can emphasize the key attributes of whatever they’re talking about. In the Neil Armstrong quote, for example, the tremendous significance of the first step on the moon is made more vivid by contrasting it with the smallness and ordinariness of the motion that brought it about.

Antithesis can also be used to express curious contradictions or paradoxes. Again, the Neil Armstrong quote is a good example: Armstrong is inviting his listeners to puzzle over the fact that a tiny, ordinary step – not so different from the millions of steps we take each day – can represent so massive a technological accomplishment as the moon landing.

Paradoxically, an antithesis can also be used to show how two seeming opposites might in fact be similar.

IV. Examples of Verisimilitude in Literature

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Forgive us this day our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us . (The Lord’s Prayer)

The antithesis is doing a lot of work here. First, it shows the parallel between committing an evil act and being the victim of one. On the surface, these are opposites, and this is part of the antithesis, but at the same time they are, in the end, the same act from different perspectives. This part of the antithesis is basically just an expression of the Golden Rule.

Second, the antithesis displays a parallel between the speaker (a human) and the one being spoken to (God). The prayer is a request for divine mercy, and at the same time a reminder that human beings should also be merciful.

All the joy the world contains has come through wanting happiness for others . All the misery the world contains has come through wanting pleasure for yourself . (Shantideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva )

The antithesis here comes with some pretty intense parallel structure. Most of the words in each sentence are exactly the same as those in the other sentence. (“All the ___ the world contains has come through wanting ____ for ____.”) This close parallel structure makes the antithesis all the more striking, since the words that differ become much more visible.

Another interesting feature of this antithesis is that it makes “pleasure” and “happiness” seem like opposites, when most of us might think of them as more or less synonymous. The quote makes happiness seem noble and exalted, whereas pleasure is portrayed as selfish and worthless.

The proper function of man is to live , not to exist . I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong  (Jack London, Credo )

The opening antithesis here gets its punch from the fact that we think of living and existing as pretty similar terms. But for London, they are opposites. Living is about having vivid experiences, learning, and being bold; simply existing is a dull, pointless thing. These two apparently similar words are used in this antithesis to emphasize the importance of living as opposed to mere existing.

The second antithesis, on the other hand, is just the opposite – in this case, London is taking two words that seem somewhat opposed (waste and prolong), and telling us that they are in fact the same . Prolonging something is making it last; wasting something is letting it run out too soon. But, says London, when it comes to life, they are the same. If you try too hard to prolong your days (that is, if you’re so worried about dying that you never face your fears and live your life), then you will end up wasting them because you will never do anything worthwhile.

V. Examples of Verisimilitude in Pop Culture

Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee. (Sara Lee pastry advertisement)

This classic ad uses antithesis to set up a deliberate grammatical error. This is a common technique in advertising, since people are more likely to remember a slogan that is grammatically incorrect. (Even if they only remember it because they found it irritating, it still sticks in their brain, which is all that an ad needs to do.) The antithesis helps make the meaning clear, and throws the grammatical error into sharper relief.

What men must know , a boy must learn . (The Lookouts)

Here’s another example of how parallel structure can turn into antithesis fairly easily. (The structure is noun-“must”-verb. ) The antithesis also expresses the basic narrative of The Lookouts , which is all about kids learning to fend for themselves and become full-fledged adults.

Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes (the band “AFI” – album title)

The antithesis here is a juxtaposition of two different actions (opening and shutting) that are actually part of the same sort of behavior – the behavior of somebody who wants to understand the world rather than be the center of attention. It’s basically a restatement of the old adage that “those who speak the most often have the least to say.”

VI. Related Terms

• Juxtaposition

Antithesis is basically a form of juxtaposition . Juxtaposition, though, is a much broader device that encompasses any deliberate use of contrast or contradiction by an author. So, in addition to antithesis, it might include:

• The scene in “The Godfather” where a series of brutal murders is intercut with shots of a baptism, juxtaposing birth and death.
• “A Song of Ice and Fire” (George R. R. Martin book series)
• Heaven and Hell
• Mountains and the sea
• Dead or alive
• “In sickness and in health”

Antithesis performs a very similar function, but does so in a more complicated way by using full sentences (rather than single words or images) to express the two halves of the juxtaposition.

Here is an antithesis built around some of the common expressions from above

• “ Sheep go to Heaven ; goats go to Hell .”
• “Beethoven’s music is as mighty as the mountains and as timeless as the sea .”
• “In sickness he loved me; in health he abandoned ”

Notice how the antithesis builds an entire statement around the much simpler juxtaposition. And, crucially, notice that each of those statements exhibits parallel grammatical structure . In this way, both Juxtaposition and parallel structures can be used to transform a simple comparison, into antithesis.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
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• Bildungsroman
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• Circumlocution
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• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of antithesis, difference between antithesis and juxtaposition, common examples of antithesis, significance of antithesis in literature, examples of antithesis in literature.

HAMLET: To be, or not to be, that is the question— Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them?

( Hamlet by William Shakespeare)

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…

( A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

This case is not a difficult one, it requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant.

( To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird , Atticus Finch is a lawyer representing Tom Robinson. Atticus presents the above statement to the jury, setting up an antithesis. He asserts that the case is not difficult and yet requires the jury to be absolutely sure of their decision. Atticus believes the case to have a very obvious conclusion, and hopes that the jury will agree with him, but he is also aware of the societal tensions at work that will complicate the case.

Test Your Knowledge of Antithesis

WITCHES: Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.

MACBETH: Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?

WITCHES: Something wicked this way comes.

4. Which of the following quotes from Heller’s Catch-22 contains an example of antithesis? A. There are now fifty or sixty countries fighting in this war. Surely so many counties can’t all be worth dying for. B. He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive. C. You’re inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age? [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #4″] Answer: B is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

What is Antithesis? Definition, Examples of Antitheses in Writing

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is Antithesis? Definition, Examples of Antitheses in Writing

Antithesis definition: Antithesis is a literary and rhetorical device where two seemingly contrasting ideas are expressed through parallel structure.

What is Antithesis?

What does antithesis mean? An antithesis is just that—an “anti” “thesis.” An antithesis is used in writing to express ideas that seem contradictory.

An antithesis uses parallel structure of two ideas to communicate this contradiction.

Example of Antithesis:

• “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” –Muhammad Ali

First, the structure is parallel. Each “side” of the phrase has the same number of words and the same structure. Each uses a verb followed by a simile.

Second, the contracting elements of a butterfly and a bee seem contradictory. That is, a butterfly is light and airy while a bee is sharp and stinging. One person (a boxer, in this case) should not be able to possess these two qualities—this is why this is an antithesis.

However, Ali is trying to express how a boxer must be light on his feet yet quick with his fist.

Modern Examples of Antithesis

• “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Through parallel structure, this quotation presents an antithesis. It seems contradictory that one action could be a “small step” and a “giant leap.”

However, this contradiction proposes that the action of landing on the moon might have just been a small physical step for the man Neil Armstrong, but it was a giant leap for the progress of mankind.

The Function of Antithesis

An antithesis stands out in writing. Because it uses parallel structure, an antithesis physically stands out when interspersed among other syntactical structures. Furthermore, an antithesis presents contrasting ideas that cause the reader or audience to pause and consider the meaning and purpose.

Oftentimes, the meaning of an antithesis is not overtly clear. That is, a reader or audience must evaluate the statement to navigate the meaning.

Writers utilize antitheses very sparingly. Since its purpose is to cause an audience to pause and consider the argument, it must be used with purpose and intent.

Antithesis Example from Literature

• “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…”

From the beginning, Dickens presents two contradictory ideas in this antithesis.

How can it be the “best” and the “worst” of times? These two “times” should not be able to coexist.

Similarly, how can the setting of this novel also take place during an “age of wisdom” and an “age of foolishness?”

The antithesis continues.

Dickens opens his with these lines to set the tone for the rest of the novel. Clearly, there are two sides to this story, two tales of what is the truth. These two “sides” should not function peacefully. And, in fact, they do not. That, after all, is the “tale of two cities.”

Dickens sets up this disparity to set the tone for his novel, which will explore this topic.

Summary: What is an Antithesis?

Define antithesis: An antithesis consists of contrasting concepts presented in parallel structure.

Writers use antithesis to create emphasis to communicate an argument.

• Note: The plural form of antithesis is antitheses.

Antithesis (Grammar and Rhetoric)

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

 Richard Nordquist

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Antithesis is a  rhetorical term for the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses . Plural: antitheses . Adjective: antithetical .

In grammatical terms, antithetical statements are parallel structures . 

"A perfectly formed antithesis," says Jeanne Fahnestock, combines " isocolon , parison , and perhaps, in an inflected language, even homoeoteleuton ; it is an overdetermined figure . The aural patterning of the antithesis, its tightness and predictability, are critical to appreciating how the syntax of the figure can be used to force semantic opposites" ( Rhetorical Figures in Science , 1999).

From the Greek, "opposition"

Examples and Observations

• "Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing." (Goethe)
• "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." (advertising slogan)
• "There are so many things that we wish we had done yesterday, so few that we feel like doing today." (Mignon McLaughlin, The Complete Neurotic's Notebook . Castle Books, 1981)
• "We notice things that don't work. We don't notice things that do. We notice computers, we don't notice pennies. We notice e-book readers, we don't notice books." (Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time . Macmillan, 2002)
• "Hillary has soldiered on, damned if she does, damned if she doesn't, like most powerful women, expected to be tough as nails and warm as toast at the same time." (Anna Quindlen, "Say Goodbye to the Virago." Newsweek , June 16, 2003)
• "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." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities , 1859)
• "Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours." (President Barack Obama, election night victory speech, November 7, 2012)
• "You're easy on the eyes Hard on the heart." (Terri Clark)
• "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." (Martin Luther King, Jr., speech at St. Louis, 1964)
• "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." (Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address , 1863)
• "All the joy the world contains Has come through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself." (Shantideva)
• "The more acute the experience, the less articulate its expression." (Harold Pinter, "Writing for the Theatre," 1962)
• "And let my liver rather heat with wine Than my heart cool with mortifying groans." (Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)
• Jack London's Credo "I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time." (Jack London, quoted by his literary executor, Irving Shepard, in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London's stories)
• Antithesis and Antitheton " Antithesis is the grammatical form of antitheton . Antitheton deals with contrasting thoughts or proofs in an argument ; Antithesis deals with contrasting words or ideas within a phrase, sentence, or paragraph." (Gregory T. Howard, Dictionary of Rhetorical Terms . Xlibris, 2010)
• Antithesis and Antonyms Antithesis as a figure of speech exploits the existence of many 'natural' opposites in the vocabularies of all languages. Small children filling in workbooks and adolescents studying for the antonyms section of the SAT learn to match words to their opposites and so absorb much vocabulary as pairs of opposed terms, connecting up to down and bitter to sweet, pusillanimous to courageous and ephemeral to everlasting. Calling these antonyms 'natural' simply means that pairs of words can have wide currency as opposites among users of a language outside any particular context of use. Word association tests give ample evidence of the consistent linking of opposites in verbal memory when subjects given one of a pair of antonyms most often respond with the other, 'hot' triggering 'cold' or 'long' retrieving 'short' (Miller 1991, 196). An antithesis as a figure of speech at the sentence level builds on these powerful natural pairs, the use of one in the first half of the figure creating the expectation of its verbal partner in the second half." (Jeanne Fahnestock, Rhetorical Figures in Science . Oxford University Press, 1999)
• Antithesis in Films - "Since . . . the quality of a scene or image is more vividly shown when set beside its opposite, it is not surprising to find antithesis in film . . .. There is a cut in Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick) from the yellow flickers of a flaming house to a still gray courtyard, lined with soldiers, and another from the yellow candles and warm browns of a gambling room to the cool grays of a terrace by moonlight and the Countess of Lyndon in white." (N. Roy Clifton, The Figure in Film . Associated University Presses, 1983) "It is clear that in every simile there is present both differences and likenesses, and both are a part of its effect. By ignoring differences, we find a simile and may perhaps find an antithesis in the same event, by ignoring likeness. . . . - "In The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges), a passenger boards a liner by tender. This was conveyed by the two vessels' whistling. We see a convulsive spurt of water and hear a desperate, soundless puff before the siren of the tender found its voice. There was a stuttering amazement, a drunken incoordination to these elaborate preliminaries, foiled by the liner's lofty unruffled burst of sounding steam. Here things that are like, in place, in sound, and in function, are unexpectedly contrasted. The commentary lies in the differences and gains force from the likeness." (N. Roy Clifton, The Figure in Film . Associated University Presses, 1983)
• Antithetical Observations of Oscar Wilde - “When we are happy, we are always good, but when we are good, we are not always happy.” ( The Picture of Dorian Gray , 1891) - “We teach people how to remember, we never teach them how to grow.” ("The Critic as Artist," 1991) - “Wherever there is a man who exercises authority, there is a man who resists authority.” ( The Soul of Man Under Socialism , 1891) - “Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer.” ("The Critic as Artist," 1991)

Pronunciation: an-TITH-uh-sis

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What is Antithesis? Examples of Antithesis in Literature and Speech

Antithesis is a rhetorical device that has been used for centuries to create contrast and emphasize ideas in speech and writing. It involves placing two contrasting ideas side by side, often using parallel grammatical structures, to highlight their differences. This technique can be used for various purposes, such as to create emphasis, create balance, or to make a point.

Table of Contents

Definition of Antithesis

Antithesis is a literary device that involves contrasting two opposing ideas or concepts in a sentence or passage in order to create a dramatic or rhetorical effect. The word “antithesis” comes from the Greek word “antithenai,” which means “to oppose.”

Antithesis can be used in a variety of ways, including through contrasting words, phrases, or clauses. This technique is often used in poetry, prose, and speeches to create a sense of tension and to emphasize the differences between two ideas.

In antithesis, two contrasting ideas are placed side by side in order to highlight their differences. This technique is often used to create a sense of balance in a sentence or passage. For example, consider the following sentence: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” In this sentence, the opposing ideas of existence and non-existence are contrasted in order to create a sense of tension and to emphasize the importance of the decision at hand.

Examples of Antithesis

Antithesis is a literary device that involves the use of contrasting ideas, words, or phrases in a parallel structure. Here are some examples of antithesis in literature, speeches, and advertising.

Antithesis in Literature

Antithesis is commonly used in literature to highlight the contrast between two opposing ideas or themes. One of the most famous examples of antithesis in literature is found in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities . The opening lines of the novel read:

“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 – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

The contrasting ideas of “best” and “worst,” “wisdom” and “foolishness,” “belief” and “incredulity,” and others are used to emphasize the stark differences between the two cities.

Antithesis in Speeches

Antithesis is also commonly used in speeches to create a memorable impact on the audience. One of the most famous examples of antithesis in a speech is from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech:

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

The contrasting ideas of “live together” and “perish together” are used to emphasize the importance of unity and brotherhood.

Antithesis in Advertising

Antithesis is also used in advertising to create memorable slogans and taglines. One example is the slogan for the car company BMW:

“The ultimate driving machine.”

The contrasting ideas of “ultimate” and “driving machine” are used to emphasize the high quality and performance of BMW cars.

In conclusion, antithesis is a powerful literary device that can be used in a variety of contexts to create memorable and impactful statements.

Antithesis vs. Juxtaposition

Antithesis and juxtaposition are two rhetorical devices that are often used in literature and speech. While they may seem similar, there are distinct differences between the two.

Antithesis is a rhetorical device that involves placing two contrasting ideas side by side in a sentence or phrase. The purpose of antithesis is to create a stark contrast between the two ideas, often to emphasize a point or to create a sense of tension or conflict.

For example, one famous example of antithesis comes from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This sentence contrasts two opposing ideas, highlighting the extreme differences between them.

Antithesis is often used in speeches and persuasive writing to create a memorable and impactful statement. However, it can also be used in more subtle ways to add depth and complexity to a piece of writing.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition, on the other hand, involves placing two ideas or objects next to each other in order to highlight their differences or similarities. Unlike antithesis, the two ideas or objects may not necessarily be opposing or contrasting.

For example, a writer might use juxtaposition to describe two characters in a story. By placing their descriptions side by side, the writer can highlight their differences and create a more vivid picture of each character.

Juxtaposition can also be used to create irony or humor. By placing two unlikely ideas or objects next to each other, a writer can create a sense of surprise or amusement.

In conclusion, while antithesis and juxtaposition are both rhetorical devices that involve placing two ideas or objects next to each other, they serve different purposes. Antithesis is used to create a contrast or conflict between two opposing ideas, while juxtaposition is used to highlight the differences or similarities between two ideas or objects.

Antithesis in Communication

Antithesis is a powerful tool in communication that can be used to emphasize contrast, create memorable phrases, and strengthen arguments. By juxtaposing two opposing ideas, antithesis can help to clarify and highlight the differences between them, making them more easily understood and remembered. In this section, we will explore the importance of antithesis in communication and how it can be used effectively.

Emphasizing Contrast

One of the primary functions of antithesis is to emphasize contrast. By placing two opposing ideas side by side, antithesis can draw attention to their differences and make them more apparent. This can be especially useful in situations where it is important to distinguish between two similar but distinct concepts. For example, in political discourse, antithesis can be used to highlight the differences between two competing policy proposals or ideologies.

Creating Memorable Phrases

Another important function of antithesis is to create memorable phrases. By using contrasting ideas in a sentence or phrase, antithesis can create a sense of balance and rhythm that can make the words more memorable. This can be seen in famous quotes such as “To be or not to be” from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which uses antithesis to create a memorable phrase that encapsulates the play’s central theme.

Strengthening Arguments

Finally, antithesis can be used to strengthen arguments. By using contrasting ideas, antithesis can help to make an argument more persuasive by highlighting the strengths of one idea while pointing out the weaknesses of another. This can be especially useful in situations where it is important to make a convincing case, such as in a legal argument or a political debate.

In conclusion, antithesis is an important tool in communication that can be used to emphasize contrast, create memorable phrases, and strengthen arguments. By using contrasting ideas, antithesis can help to clarify and highlight the differences between two concepts, making them more easily understood and remembered. Whether in literature, politics, or everyday conversation, antithesis can be a powerful tool for effective communication.

Overall, antithesis is a valuable tool for writers and speakers who want to create a sense of contrast and emphasize their point. When used effectively, it can make writing or speech more memorable and impactful. However, it is important to use it in moderation and not rely on it too heavily. By understanding how to use antithesis effectively, writers and speakers can take their communication skills to the next level.

Related Links

• Verbal Irony

an-tith-uh-sis

Antithesis occurs when two contrasting ideas are put together to achieve a desired outcome.

E.g. The speaker's use of antithesis , contrasting freedom with captivity and knowledge with ignorance, added a compelling layer of depth to the philosophical debate.

Related terms: Juxtaposition , oxymoron , conflict , irony

The two opposites are accompanied by a parallel structure used to help unite the two phrases. When this rhetorical device is used, the reader should immediately become aware that this line is of particular importance. It allows the writer to emphasize something they know needs to be said to the best possible effect.  

A common example is: “You are easy on the eyes , but hard on the heart .” With this phrase, anyone should be able to come to the conclusion that the “you” in these lines is someone the speaker cares for and thinks is attractive, but is also often emotionally hurt by. Through the use of this structure, one is also able to break down complex feelings into something easier to understand.  

Explore Antithesis

• 1 Definition of Antithesis
• 2 Examples of Antithesis in Literature 
• 3 Antithesis and Juxtaposition 
• 4 Antithesis and Oxymoron
• 5 Related Literary Terms 
• 6 Other Resources 

Definition of Antithesis

Antithesis is used in everyday speech , novels , poems, short stories , plays, and more. The rhetorical device can be used in very different ways in order to achieve varied outcomes.

Parallelism is an important part of antithesis. The structure of the words around the contrasting ideas is usually identical, at least in part. This allows the juxtaposed words to be as powerful as possible.  

The word “antithesis” comes from the Greek “anithenai,” meaning “to oppose.”  

Examples of Antithesis in Literature  

Paradise lost by john milton.

In John Milton’s ‘ Paradise Lost,’ there is a great example of antithesis in the first book. Satan was up in Hell, imprisoned alongside a fiery lake, and he uses these words:

Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell , then serve in Heav’n

While speaking to Beelzebub, he says that it’s better to “reign in Hell, then serve in Heav’n.” Through this clever turn of phrase, he’s suggesting that he’d rather fulfill his role as “the devil” and control his own destiny than be under God’s thumb in Heaven. It’s important to remember when considering this quote that Satan was cast out of Heaven for questioning God. He craves the leeway his position in Hell affords him.

Read more John Milton poems .

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens’ famous novel , A Tale of Two Cities, has a wonderful example of antithesis at the beginning of the first chapter. Here is an excerpt from the novel that demonstrates, in several different ways, how the device might be used.  

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 examples of antithesis are seen through the bolded words. “Best” contrasts with “worst” and “everything” with “nothing.” Through the use of this technique, Dickens is able to highlight the different perspectives and conflicts that are going to arise in the following pages.

This excerpt is also a good example of how parallel structures are used. He says, “It was the best of times” and “it was the worst of times.” The phrase “it was the” is used in both instances. The same can be said for the following example in which he uses “it was the age of” to refer to “foolishness” and “wisdom.”  

Explore Charles Dickens’ poetry .

Community by John Donne  

In this lesser-known Donne poem, the poet includes the following lines:  

Good we must love, and must hate ill, For ill is ill, and good good still; But there are things indifferent, Which we may neither hate, nor love, But one, and then another prove, As we shall find our fancy bent.

He presents “love” alongside “hate” in addition to “good” alongside “ill.” By showing the reader both sides, he’s able to emphasize why “we” love what we love and why we hate what we hate. He goes on, to state that, in contrast , it is a matter of choice whether one hates or loves the “things indifferent.”  

Read more of John Donne’s famous poems .

Hamlet by William Shakespeare  

The famous soliloquy from Hamlet is a good example of how antithesis can be used. In the “To be or not to be” speech, he uses the following lines:  

To be or not to be , that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

In the first lines of this excerpt, he presents “to be or not to be” as an example of antithesis. The two opposites hinge on the use of “or” in between them. As the passage goes on, Shakespeare uses antithesis again with “to suffer” or “to take arms.”  

Discover William Shakespeare’s poetry .

Antithesis and Juxtaposition  

Antithesis is similar to juxtaposition in that they are both concerned with opposites and contrasting terms. When two ideas are juxtaposed, they are placed next to one another but not necessarily to create a relationship between the two. They may not have a more important meaning other than to add interest to the text.  

Antithesis and Oxymoron

Antithesis is also often confused with an oxymoron. The latter occurs when two words that contradict one another are placed together in order to reveal a deeper truth. For example, “sweet sorrow” or “living dead.” These are stand-alone statements in which two words that don’t seem to belong together are placed next to one another and then make sense.

In contrast, antithesis does not usually use two contrasting words next to one another. They’re usually more spread out, playing into the importance of parallelism.  

Related Literary Terms  

• Oxymoron : a kind of figurative language in which two contrasting things are connected together.  
• Juxtaposition : a literary technique that places two unlike things next to one another.
• Simile : a comparison between two unlike things that uses the words “like” or “as”.

Other Resources  

• Listen: Antithesis—Why Opposites Attract
• Watch: Oxymoron Definition and Examples  
• Watch: ‘To be or not to be’ Hamlet Speech

Home » Figurative Language » Antithesis

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• Fact Monster - Entertainment - Antithesis

antithesis , (from Greek antitheton , “opposition”), a figure of speech in which irreconcilable opposites or strongly contrasting ideas are placed in sharp juxtaposition and sustained tension, as in the saying “Art is long, and Time is fleeting.”

The opposing clauses, phrases, or sentences are roughly equal in length and balanced in contiguous grammatical structures.

The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. (Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address” )

In poetry, the effect of antithesis is often one of tragic irony or reversal.

Saddled and bridled And booted rade he; A plume in his helmet, A sword at his knee; But toom [empty] cam’ his saddle A’ bloody to see, O hame cam’ his gude horse But never cam’ he! (“Bonnie George Campbell,” anonymous)

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Definition of antithesis

Did you know.

Writers and speechmakers use the traditional pattern known as antithesis for its resounding effect; John Kennedy's famous "ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" is an example. But antithesis normally means simply "opposite". Thus, war is the antithesis of peace, wealth is the antithesis of poverty, and love is the antithesis of hate. Holding two antithetical ideas in one's head at the same time—for example, that you're the sole master of your fate but also the helpless victim of your terrible upbringing—is so common as to be almost normal.

Examples of antithesis in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antithesis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Late Latin, from Greek, literally, opposition, from antitithenai to oppose, from anti- + tithenai to set — more at do

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1b(1)

Dictionary Entries Near antithesis

anti-theoretical

Cite this Entry

“Antithesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antithesis. Accessed 19 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of antithesis, more from merriam-webster on antithesis.

Nglish: Translation of antithesis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of antithesis for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about antithesis

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Table of Contents

Introduction, what is antithesis, why do writers use antithesis, common examples of antithesis in everyday conversations, examples of antithesis in literature.

“Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.” Johann wolfgang von Goethe

“To err is human; to forgive divine.” Alexander Pope.

… Beware  Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,  Bear’t that the opposèd may beware of thee.  Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice. Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.  From “ Hamlet ” by William Shakespeare

To be, or not to be, that is the question. From “Hamlet” by Shakespeare

The contrasting elements “to be” and “not to be” are juxtaposed within a parallel structure, creating a profound and thought-provoking expression. This use of antithesis highlights the existential dilemma and inner conflict faced by the character Hamlet as he contemplates the meaning and consequences of life and death.

“Many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

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… From “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Neil Armstrong

• Scriptwriting

What is Antithesis — Definition & Examples in Literature & Film

I f you’ve ever heard sentence structure, met characters, or witnessed ideas that seem diametrically opposed, you’re actually pretty familiar with the idea of the antithesis. But there is more to it than just juxtaposing ideas. Read on to learn exactly what is antithesis, how this tool is used, and how you can include an antithesis in your next project. 

Antithesis Definition

First, let’s define antithesis.

There are a number of terms often confused for antithesis (like paradox or oxymoron ). But an antithesis has a particular grammatical structure that helps differentiate it from the rest. So, here’s the antithesis definition and then we'll look at specific examples:

ANTITHESIS DEFINITION

What is antithesis.

An antithesis is a rhetorical and literary device with parallel grammar structure but which establishes a nearly complete or exact opposition in ideas or characters. It can be effective in emphasizing drastic differences between opposing concepts.

How to pronounce antithesis: [an-TITH-uh-sis]  

Familiar antithesis examples:

• “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
• “No pain, no gain.”
• “Out of sight, out of mind.”

The word “antithesis” comes from the Greek word meaning “setting opposite,” which is an idea that has been used in various forms. Let’s look at those various forms in more antithesis examples.

Antitheses Examples

How do we use antithesis today.

The purpose of antithetical language is not just mentioning the existence of opposing ideas, but rather emphasizing the stark differences between them.  The often lyrical and rhythmic nature of this device helps accentuate the parallel grammatical structure.

Watch the video below to learn more about how we use antitheses today. 

Antithesis Definition, Examples and Techniques

We use this device in that pure form today (see the examples above) in everyday turns of phrase. But there are more in-depth ways (in actions and story in general) that fit the antithesis definition. 

People and characters can act in an antithetical manner to their beliefs.

Antithesis Examples in Behavior: 

• A character who says they love animals but wears real fur coats.
• Someone who says they are vegetarian but eats a big steak for dinner.
• A person who uses a “Shop Small” tote bag but does their holiday shopping at Walmart. 

In addition, characters in literary or scripted works, much like people, can be antitheses to each other in and of themselves. In fact, this is often how great villains are created.

Check out the video below to see more on writing great villains , and how antagonists can mirror or juxtapose protagonists . 

Page to Picture: How to Write a Villain  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Protagonists can be an “antihero,” or the villain of a story can be portrayed separately as a parallel to the protagonist; therefore, the protagonist and antagonist highlight each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and evil and benevolent qualities. Some classic examples of this pseudo-mirrored antagonist concept are: 

Snow White and the Queen

Batman and Joker

Dumbledore and Voldemort

As you can see, the antithesis is typically the ultimate antagonist, even if the character they are meant to parallel isn’t the protagonist, as is the case in the Harry Potter series. 

Both a strong example of antithesis and nuanced portrayal of complicated character relationships, the Harry Potter series showcases a number of moral ambiguities as they pertain to Dumbledore and Voldemort.

We imported the script into StudioBinder’s screenwriting software to see exactly how this juxtaposition is first established.

Read Full Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Script

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone masterfully establishes the characteristics that Harry and Voldemort share, but it also establishes similarities between Dumbledore and Voldemort.

Throughout the series, these shared traits influence Dumbledore and Voldemort in their objectives and decisions. 

For instance, in the Sorcerer’s Stone , we are introduced to how Voldemort and Dumbledore move through the world. Hagrid tells Harry early on about Voldemort’s rise to power: he was a wizard “who went as bad as you can go [...] anyone who stood up to him ended up dead.” Hagrid frames Voldemort as a powerful wizard, capable of massive destruction. 

Antithesis Example in Harry Potter  •   Read Full Scene

Alternatively, towards the end of the first film Dumbledore explains his tactics in his work with Nicolas Flamel on the Sorcerer’s Stone . “Only a person who wanted to find the stone—find it, but not use it—would be able to get it.” Dumbledore respects power and the laws of magic, and his actions reflect that. 

Further into the series, in Order of the Phoenix , we see what happens when Dumbledore’s tremendous abilities collide with Voldemort’s formidable power in their epic Ministry of Magic duel.

Voldemort’s spells all aim to destruct, whereas Dumbledore’s are equally amazing, but meant to disarm, distinguish, or defend. 

The series is a remarkable example of how antitheses can be essential to a story, and the respective backstories, unique abilities, and of course choices of Voldemort and Dumbledore prove it.  

Implementing Antitheses

How to use antithesis.

With all the ways you can implement and define antithesis, it’s good to have a number of tricks or rules of thumb to keep in your back pocket. Whether you’re writing a short story or your next feature screenplay, here are some things you can keep in mind. 

1. Aim for Moderation

If you’re using antithesis in the form of a rhetorical device, try to keep the number of antitheses to a minimum unless it’s a crucial character trait of the speaker. Using a similar literary device too often can leave your writing predictable or even annoying. The more you use a tool, like antithetical language, the less meaning it can have. 

2. Similar Structure

Keep the structure of your antithesis as similar as possible if you want to highlight the differences more intensely. And try to keep the phrasing itself balanced. Both variables of the equation don’t have to be exact, but the lyrical phrasing can help your antithesis shine and stick long after the read. 

3. Focus on Differences

Focus on contrast but remember to find ways to draw the parallels. How can the characters be compared to the point where their differences become obvious? How can their differences lead to conversation about how the characters may actually be similar? 

Antitheses via characters and sentence structure can assist in not just interesting writing, but memorable writing. They can make your message more understandable and retainable, which should be a top goal in any written work. You never want to give you reader a reason to stop reading.

So, now that you’ve learned more about how an antithesis can strengthen your work, you can implement it  into your next project like a pro.

After all, no guts, no glory. 

What is Irony?

Antithesis is a rhetorical device you can use in everyday speech. Much like an antithesis, we encounter several types of irony in everyday life, too. Keep reading to learn about the types of irony and how they’re used in TV and Film. 

Up Next: Irony Explained →

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• English Grammar
• Figures Of Speech

Antithesis: Meaning, Definition and Examples

Figures of speech , otherwise known as rhetorical devices, are used in the English language to beautify and make your language look and sound a lot more effective rather than a literal presentation of information. Each figure of speech has its function and is meant to perform its roles giving the context a unique effect. In this article, you will learn about one such figure of speech called antithesis. Read through the article to learn more about what antithesis is, its definition and how it differs from an oxymoron. You can also check out the examples and analyse how it is written for an in-depth understanding of the same.

Table of Contents

What is antithesis – meaning and definition, what differentiates an antithesis from an oxymoron, some common examples of antithesis, frequently asked questions on antithesis.

An antithesis is a figure of speech that states strongly contrasting ideas placed in juxtaposition. They contain compound sentences with the two independent clauses separated by a comma or a semicolon , in most cases. However, there are also instances where the antithesis is a compound sentence with a conjunction . An antithesis is mainly used to portray the stark difference between the two opposing ideas.

Antithesis, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a contrast between two things”, and according to the Cambridge Dictionary, “a difference or opposition between two things”. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives a more explanatory definition. According to it, antithesis is “the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences”.

Knowing the difference between an antithesis and an oxymoron will help you comprehend and use both the rhetorical devices effectively. Take a look at the table given below to learn more.

Here are some of the most common examples of antithesis for your reference.

• Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
• Keep your mouth closed and your eyes open.
• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” – Charles Dickens
• “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
• “Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” – John Milton
• Speech is silver, but silence is gold.
• “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” – William Shakespeare
• Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.
• “To err is human; to forgive divine.” – Alexander Pope
• Money is the root of all evil: poverty is the fruit of all goodness.

What is antithesis?

An antithesis is a figure of speech that states strongly contrasting ideas placed in juxtaposition. They contain compound sentences with the two independent clauses separated by a comma or a semicolon, in most cases. However, there are also instances where the antithesis is a compound sentence with a conjunction.

What is the definition of antithesis?

What is the difference between antithesis and oxymoron.

The main difference between an antithesis and an oxymoron is that antithesis refers to the use of two contrasting ideas or thoughts conveyed in two independent clauses placed in juxtaposition, separated by a comma, a semicolon or a conjunction; whereas, the term ‘oxymoron’ refers to the use of two opposite words within a phrase to create an effect.

Give some examples of antithesis.

Here are a few examples of antithesis for your reference.

• “Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.” – Goethe
• “Folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” – Abraham Lincoln
• “Man proposes, God disposes.”
• Beggars can’t be choosers.
• Be slow in choosing, but slower in changing.

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The Sermon on the Mount in Latter-day Scripture

Gaye strathearn , thomas a. wayment , and daniel l. belnap , editors, the six antitheses, attaining the purpose of the law through the teachings of jesus, eric d. huntsman.

Eric D. Huntsman, “‘The Six Antitheses: Attaining the Purpose of the Law through the Teachings of Jesus,” in The Sermon on the Mount in Latter-day Scripture , ed. Gaye Strathearn, Thomas A. Wayment, and Daniel L. Belnap (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010), 93–109.

Eric D. Huntsman was an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University when this article was published.

With six powerful examples in Matthew 5:21–47, Jesus compared the demands of the law of the gospel with the requirements of the Mosaic law. In each, the Master cited an earlier proposition of the law, a thesis, and made an authoritative counterproposition, or antithesis, that called disciples to a higher standard of belief, motivation, and observance. In some cases, Mosaic prohibitions, each from the Ten Commandments, were strengthened—showing that keeping the spirit of the law frequently required more than keeping the letter of the law. In other instances, Mosaic dispensations or permissions that allowed certain behaviors in specific situations were effectively suspended, teaching that those living a higher law would not regularly find themselves in circumstances that required such practices.

These six antitheses do not appear in isolation; rather, they are integral parts of the other arguments of the first section of the Sermon on the Mount, now found in Matthew chapter 5. Accordingly, they first stand as vivid illustrations of what it meant for Jesus to fulfill the law (5:17–20), with the antitheses neither nullifying nor replacing the law, but rather intensifying it and helping the believer better fulfill its intent. They are thus connected with both the Beatitudes (5:3–12) and a section that can be called Marks of a Disciple (5:13–16), all of which lead to a disciple’s being “perfect” (5:48). By studying the antitheses and associated material, believers today can better fulfill the law of the gospel—transforming their hearts and becoming more like Jesus not only in action but also in thought and motivation.

Fulfilling the Law

The passage immediately preceding the antitheses begins, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill ” (5:17, emphasis added). Because the antitheses that follow are meant as illustrations of how Jesus fulfilled the law of his day, understanding what he meant by fulfillment is crucial to living the higher law that Christ taught. Because “fulfill” can mean several different things, and because Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses in different ways at different times, a careful, sometimes technical discussion of how he—and by extension all believers—fulfill whatever law we are given is necessary before proceeding to an examination of the antitheses themselves.

Because the outward, ceremonial aspects of the law of Moses were fulfilled with the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, Christians—and especially Latter-day Saints—are sometimes predisposed to seeing the term “fulfill” here as meaning “bring to an end.” While pivotal passages in the Book of Mormon indicate that “old things were done away” in Christ (see 3 Nephi 9:19, 12:46, 15:4), the context of Jesus’ appearance in the New World and his delivery of the Sermon at the Temple there after his death and Resurrection is significantly different than that of the Sermon on the Mount early in his mortal ministry before his completion of the Atonement. [1]

The fact that “fulfill” here means something other than “bring to an end, finish, or complete” is further indicated by the use of the Greek term plērōsai , the primary meaning of which means “to fill or make full.” [2] As such, it is in direct contrast with the idea of “destroy,” the Greek for which, katalysai , means something like “annul” in a legal context. [3] Therefore, while it is true that the ceremonial aspects of the law would soon be finished or brought to an end, and likewise that the symbolic types and shadows of Christ and his sacrifice would be realized, [4] in the original context of the Sermon on the Mount it is most likely that “fulfill” means to make complete, fill the requirements of, comply with the conditions of, or even “bring out its true meaning” or “bring to full expression.” [5]

As a result, in the sermon Jesus fulfills the law primarily with his teachings . Indeed, the purpose of these particular teachings “is to enable God’s people to live out the Law more effectively.” [6] Whereas the symbolic and ceremonial aspects of the law were brought to an end by his sacrificial death, the ethical precepts of that same law—which principles existed before the law and would continue even after it—were reaffirmed, and even strengthened, by the Lord during his mortal ministry. The principles he taught thus fulfilled the intent of the law by establishing a higher standard, which deepened but did not abrogate the original law. [7] As noted by Sim, “This messianic exegesis goes beyond the letter of the law to reveal an even deeper meaning, and in doing so reveals God’s true intentions in giving the Torah.” [8]

Indeed, Jesus’ authority to do so is made even more clear in the Book of Mormon, where the resurrected Lord taught that the Jehovah who gave the law in the first instance was the same as the man who taught its deeper meaning in Galilee: “Behold, I say unto you that the law is fulfilled that was given unto Moses. Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel” (3 Nephi 15:4–5). This authority is stressed in the text of Matthew by the formulaic phrase amēn gar legō hymin , rendered traditionally as “Verily I say unto you.” Beginning with amēn (KJV “verily”) marks Jesus’ authoritative teachings elsewhere in the Gospels. [9] A liturgical particle transliterated from the Hebrew term ‘āmēn , it is derived from the stem ‘mn , meaning “reliable, confirmed, or faithful” and hence connoting something that was true. [10] Most often ‘āmēn is translated in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) with genoito , meaning “may it be so!” Usually occurring at the end of a prayer or liturgical formula, Jesus’ use of the term at the beginning of a statement seems to have been unique, [11] the implication being that everything he said following it was true. The rest of the formula, “ I say unto you,” also seems to have been unusual for the period, because Jesus does not cite other authority but simply taught “as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (7:29).

Finally, that Jesus’ authoritative strengthening of the ethical precepts of the law was meant to endure can be seen in the eschatological tone of the rest of verse 18: his interpretation of the law was to last until the end of the earth’s temporal existence. [12] Referring to the smallest Hebrew or Greek letters ( yod or iota ) and the decorative seraphs on such letters (the keraia ), [13] Jesus taught, “ Till heaven and earth pass away , one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled ” (although here Matthew uses genētai , “come about” or “happen,” not a form of plēroō , “to fulfill”) (5:18; emphasis added). Believers were not to break the commandments but to “do and teach them” (5:19). And whereby the scribes and Pharisees had sought to protect the Mosaic code by hedging it about with additional rules and practices, Jesus, through the antitheses, taught another, better way to accomplish the intent of the law.

The Nature and Structure of the Antitheses

In Classical dialectic, or philosophical reasoning, absolute truth was established in a transitory, uncertain world through stepwise approximation. A thesis, or proposition, was met with an antithesis, or counterproposition. Through reasoned discussion, the goal was to arrive at a synthesis, or compromise, that ideally was closer to the actual truth. While neither Jesus in delivering the sermon nor Matthew in his writing of it had necessarily been exposed to such dialectic, the traditional use of the first two of these terms, thesis and antithesis, by biblical scholarship in relation to the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:21–47 is appropriate because of what it indicates about the authority of Jesus itself. While the Mosaic precepts are stated as initial theses, the antitheses presented by Jesus are absolute. His pronouncements are truth, and no synthesis is needed.

Of course God himself—or Jesus, as the premortal Jehovah present at Mount Sinai—also established the original propositions, a fact suggested by a nuance of the Greek grammar of a phrase beginning each antithesis. Each starts with a variation of the formula “Ye have heard that it was said ( errethē ) by them of old time ( tois archaiois ).” As it stands in English, the impression may be that “they of old time” were the ones speaking, but tois archaiois more properly means “It was said to them of old times.” [14] In this case, the subject of the passive verb errethē is probably what is called the “Divine passive.” [15] As a result, God said to them of old time x, and Jesus is now saying that x really means x + y.

As a result, each antithesis begins with a form of the “It has been said” formula (5:21, 27, 31, 33, 34, 38, 43), followed by a legal point found in the Mosaic code. Jesus then continues with “But I say unto you,” which introduces his clarification and intensification of the principle that lay behind the legal proposition. The fact that his antitheses picks the “I say unto you” formula of 5:18 and verse 20 strengthens the connection between each of these passages and the idea that Jesus was fulfilling—that is, accomplishing the intent and deepening the meaning—of the original commandments with his teaching.

How Jesus “fulfilled” these antitheses seems to have differed according to the nature of the theses they address. First of all, the prohibitions in the Ten Commandments all represent ethical precepts that existed before the Mosaic code and continue in full force today, even since the law was fulfilled. Second, Jesus’ expansion of the prohibitions from the Decalogue deepened and expanded them by calling upon the believer to control the feelings and motivations that could lead to breaking the commandments. On the other hand, in regard to other regulations from the Mosaic code, Jesus called on the believer to set aside practices that the law permitted. While some feel that Jesus abrogated aspects of the law even before the full higher law was in place, one can argue that he did not actually annul them during his ministry. Rather, he called upon believers to change their hearts so they could act with greater restraint, removing the conditions that made such permissions as divorce and retaliation necessary.

Scholars debate the structure of the six antitheses, but most divide them into two groups of three. In favor of this ordering is the fact that in the first three antitheses Jesus’ response after his authoritative “But I say unto you” begins with the construction “ each one who” (Greek, pas + a participle; KJV, “whosoever”). In the last three, “But I say unto you” is followed by a simple imperative expression, such as “swear not.” [16] Furthermore, the fourth begins with “again ( palin ),” emphatic in Greek, seeming to mark a new beginning. [17] This ordering divides the antitheses into almost equal divisions in the Greek text of 258 and 244 words, and, more equivalently, of 1,131 and 1,130 letters respectively, [18] suggesting care was taken, either by Matthew or Jesus himself, to balance the two sections.

In the oldest, most reliable Greek texts, the first and fourth antitheses—the first in the two set—are the only ones with the full formula “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time. ” While the full form appears at the start of the second antithesis in verse 27 as well, only later Byzantine manuscripts contain the phrase “by them of old time.” [19] The others begin with a reduced formula, either “Ye have heard that it had been said” or simply “It hath been said.” The fact that later manuscripts, such as the ones used by the King James translators, added “by them of old time” to verse 27 in the second antithesis suggests that another pattern was seen by later copyists: the first, second, and fourth antitheses treat principles enshrined in the Ten Commandments. Because “those of old time” appeared in the first and fourth antitheses and appears to refer to those of the Exodus generation who received the Decalogue, [20] it seemed that it seems to apply to the second as well. [21]

The Content of the Antitheses

The reason for this division of the antitheses into two equal parts is not immediately clear, but the two sections reveal a certain balance and symmetry. The first division includes two Mosaic prohibitions—on murder and adultery—that are extended by Jesus and one permission—of divorce—that believers are to accept. The second section, on the other hand, contains one prohibition—on forswearing—that is extended and two permissions—legal compensation misunderstood as retaliation and not loving one’s enemies—that are denied. Likewise, the first half consists of two theses taken from the Decalogue and one from elsewhere in the Mosaic code, while the second half includes only one reference that directly arises from the Ten Commandments and two from other parts of the law. But perhaps more significant than this balance is the symmetry found in the first and last antitheses. Dealing with the most fundamental of human emotions—anger and hate on one hand and love on the other—they illustrate the central focus of Jesus’ message of love.

Murder and anger (5:21–26) . In verse 21 Jesus begins by addressing the most serious crime one can commit against another person. The thesis that one should not commit murder comes from Exodus 20:13 and 20:21 and again in Deuteronomy 5:17. The antithesis that follows then shifts the discussion from the action to the emotion or motivation leading to the action. However, this focus on the damaging effects of anger was not, in fact, novel in Jewish ethics of the Second Temple Period. Texts from the Qumran community set punishments for displays of wrath; the wisdom literature of the period address the dangers of anger; and Jesus’ near contemporary Hillel, an important Pharisaic rabbi at the end of the Second Temple Period, was a gentle, patient, and even-tempered sage. [22]

Instead, the significance of the antithesis lies in the comprehensiveness of Jesus’ admonition that one not be angry to any degree with another person. The phrase “without a cause,” translated from the Greek adverb eikē , does not appear in any of the oldest and most trustworthy manuscripts. Instead, later copyists seem to have inserted it in later manuscripts to soften the injunction to justify anger in some occasions. [23] Significantly, both JST Matthew 5:22 and 3 Nephi 12:22 omit the qualification “without a cause,” making clear that uncontrolled anger for any cause can lead to sin and subsequent judgment. [24]

The three examples that follow represent situations involving varying degrees of anger, some of them involving very little intensity. First, the Lord warned against merely insulting one’s brother, presumably out of anger or frustration. For instance, disparaging someone with the epithet “Raca,” coming from the Aramaic rêqā meaning “empty,” actually did not seem to constitute a particularly disparaging insult. In fact, it was a rather mild, if condescending, expression used with servants or members of one’s household. [25] Likewise, the word translated “fool,” mōros , was disrespectful but not particularly intense. [26] Second, the example of someone remembering that a brother had anything at all (Greek echei ti ; KJV “hath ought”) against him at the moment he was about to sacrifice illustrates that any problem in a relationship was damaging enough that it could impede worship of God. Significantly, the problem is no longer one’s own anger but the anger of another. Only in the third example of two men so at odds that they are taking each other to court has the anger progressed beyond the degree that one could conceivably feel toward anyone on any day.

Obviously, Jesus’ antithesis fulfills the intent of the commandment against murder, for controlling anger so completely would not allow one to get to the point of intentional murder. But the comprehensiveness of his prohibition raises the standard beyond what most disciples could easily attain. In this, as in so much of the sermon, Jesus’ teachings require a change of heart beyond one’s own ability to effect.

Adultery and lust (5:27–30). The commandment addressed here completely forbade sexual relations with someone married to another person (see Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18). Jesus’ counterproposition, however, is that a man should not even lust ( epithymēsai ) in his heart for another woman, married or not. [27] While Jesus’ antithesis addressed the root cause of adultery, the word epithymesai distinguishes between an initial, perhaps involuntary, sexual feeling and the subsequent sinful response to it. First, rather than being a specific term for sexual desire, epithymeō is specifically an eager longing for anything. [28] Hence it can also be translated as “covet” and is thus connected with the prohibition of the Ten Commandments against coveting either a neighbor’s possessions or his wife (see Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21, both of which use epithymēseis ). [29] Second, the Greek construction indicates that lust for (or, better, desire to have) another person is, at its root, the purpose of the looking rather than simply the result ; the former suggests deliberate imagination or sexual fantasy. [30] In other words, Jesus’ antithesis that one should not lust—here including the idea of coveting as well—does not necessarily refer to a passing attraction but rather the sin of continuing to look in order to arouse further lust.

The antithesis itself is followed by a discussion in verses 29–30 of the radical steps that should be taken to avoid thoughts or actions that would lead to adultery through the use of the hyperbolic image of cutting off or plucking out a member that leads one to stumble (Greek skandalizei ; KJV “offend”). The standard form of the hyperbole, or literary exaggeration to prove a point, placed the offending hand first and the eye second (see Mark 9:43–47; Matthew 18:8–9). But here, Jesus mentions the eye first to connect it with the lustful look spoken of in 5:28. [31] Despite the apparent harshness of the hyperbole, it is important to note that it assumes repentance and forgiveness of the original sin. The serious symbolic steps to avoid further sin help interpret the initial antithesis: what is stressed is the failure to take the sin seriously and to avoid it that can lead one to condemnation. [32] In this regard, Elder Dallin H. Oaks wrote regarding sexual impulses of various kinds, “All of us have some feelings we did not choose, but the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that we still have the power to resist and reform our feelings (as needed) and to assure that they do not lead us to entertain inappropriate thoughts or to engage in sinful behavior.” [33] The Book of Mormon version of this directive directly connects lusting with the heart: “Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart” (3 Nephi 12:29). Because actions come out of the heart (see Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21), wrong sexual behavior is a result of not allowing one’s heart to be bridled and transformed by Christ (see Alma 38:12).

Divorce and marriage (5:31–32). The third antithesis, regarding marriage, is the first to address a proposition not found first in the Ten Commandments. Nonetheless, Jesus’ association of remarriage after divorce with adultery connects it both to the Decalogue’s prohibition on adultery and the discussion in the preceding antithesis. The shortest of the antitheses, it is nonetheless demanding. Whereas the first two antitheses broadened the Mosaic injunctions to address the causes of murder and adultery, this counterproposition calls on Christians to disregard a right that the law allowed for a man to divorce his wife if she fell out of favor, particularly for “some indecency,” presumably some sexual deviance (Hebrew ‘rwt dbr ; KJV “some uncleanness”). [34] As a result, in Matthew 5:32, logou porneias (KJV “for the cause of fornication”) is probably not limited to adultery but includes a wider range of improper sexual relations.

Exactly what reason could justify divorce at the time of Jesus was the subject of debate within two different schools of the Pharisaic movement: the broadly interpretive House of Hillel and the more legalistic house of Shammai. [35] Thus the misconception that Judaism somehow allowed spurious divorce does not seem to be accurate, and the radical thrust of Jesus’ antithesis might lie elsewhere. First, the permission to divorce in the Mosaic code culminated in an injunction against a former husband remarrying his divorced wife (see Deuteronomy 24:4), whereas Jesus’ antithesis made marrying any man an act of adultery for the divorced wife. The strong teachings of Jesus elsewhere regarding divorce equate divorce and remarriage with adultery (Matthew 19:1–12; Luke 16:18), but here—in the context of the sermon, where intent matters as much as actions—Jesus places unnecessary divorce on a level equal with adultery in seriousness. In the other treatments of divorce in the Gospels, the Mosaic permission in a specific situation was explained in terms of “hardness of hearts” (Matthew 19:8). The implication in this antithesis is that divorce for any reason, other than sexual irregularity, is likewise a result of a hard heart, one that the teachings of Jesus were meant to help the believer overcome. [36]

Forswearing and truthfulness (5:33–37). Although the fourth antithesis does not always receive as much attention as some of the others, its placement at the beginning of the second set of antitheses—marked by the resumptive “again” and the full formula “ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time”—emphasizes it. [37] Forswearing means to either renounce something upon an oath or to swear falsely. Because such oaths were taken in the name of the Lord, it is connected to the prohibition not to take the name of the Lord in vain (see Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12) and to the later directive to perform everything that one vows (see Deuteronomy 23:21–22). The first of these precepts, not taking the Lord’s name in vain—meaning not just irreverently but in an unproductive, empty, or frivolous way—helps explain the prominence that this antithesis holds among the six. It, more than the other five antitheses, centers on our interaction with God rather than those with other people.

Indeed, the extended teaching of Jesus is essentially that God and everything connected with him (his creation, his city, even his ability to make hair “white or black”) are so holy that one should hesitate to ever use them in a way that will not be reverential, honest, or productive. [38] This respect for and deference to God anticipates Jesus’ interpretation of the Mosaic directive to love God with all of one’s heart (see Deuteronomy 6:5) as being the great and first commandment (see Matthew 22:36–38; Mark 12:28–30; Luke 10:27) upon which so much of the law depended.

It is the practice of swearing to establish truth that leads the antithesis in verse 37, which directs believers to keep language short, simple, and, above all, true. In that sense, the antithesis is also connected with the Decalogue’s commandment against false witness (see Exodus 20:16). Anciently, a witness would often be sworn in the name of the Lord, so swearing falsely broke both commandments. Jesus’ response was that truthfulness should so characterize the believer that his simple affirmation or denial should suffice without needing to swear at all. [39] Like the other antitheses, this one requires a transformation of the heart and will of each follower of Jesus.

Retaliation and submissiveness (5:38–42). With the fifth antithesis, Jesus returns to commandments that deal with man’s relationships and interactions with other people. The thesis that Jesus expands here is the law of retribution ( lex talionis ): if someone damages one body part, retribution can be taken against him to the same degree (see Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21). While a modern quip suggests that if followed this would make “the whole world blind and toothless,” the limitations that Mosaic code imposed on retribution were often progressive for the time. Like those found in the Code of Hammurabi and a few other ancient law codes, they were meant to limit excessive retribution for damage. [40]

Nevertheless, such retribution could easily be seen not as legal compensation but as retaliation, satisfying one’s anger at being hurt or offended. Perhaps with this attitude in view, Jesus’ antithesis counters the impulse for retaliation by requiring submissiveness of the believer, teaching him or her to endure unfair treatment with four different examples of conduct. Followers of Christ should not resist evil in the form of physical abuse but rather “turn the other cheek.” Legal action to take one’s property, in the example represented by one’s tunic (an inner garment but translated by the KJV as “coat”), should be met with a willingness to give up even more, in this case the more expensive cloak. [41] Less costly but inconvenient was the example of forced service in verse 41, which reflected not so much unique Roman practice but rather the ability of any superior to coerce or demand favors. [42] Rather than resist such impositions, the believer should be willing to do more than asked.

These first three examples are presented in order of decreasing severity: one is physically abused in the first, loses property in the second, and loses only time in the third. But the attitude of submissiveness and the habit of selflessness comes to fruition in the final example, in which one is willing to lend, presumably with the expectation of receiving the item back, whenever asked. By the end of this string of examples, Jesus’ antithesis of not resisting evil results in a changed, generous heart.

Hate and love (5:43–47). The sixth antithesis begins with the Mosaic injunction to love one’s neighbor (see Leviticus 19:18). The contrasting assumption was that people were permitted to hate one’s enemies. No actual passage in the law directed Israelites to hate their enemies, although some passages, such as Deuteronomy 23:3–6, were far from generous in how enemies should be treated. [43] Clearly, it was possible to interpret the directive to love one’s neighbor narrowly to one’s own group, thus excluding Israel’s enemies and associating them with the “enemies of God,” thereby justifying hatred. [44]

Nevertheless, Jesus’ counterproposition, beginning for the last time with the authoritative “I say unto you,” is to love all enemies. [45] This all-encompassing application of Jesus’ love anticipated his teaching that we are to love all men (see Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27), a point vividly illustrated by the parable of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:29–37). The examples of how believers must love their enemies that follow are striking: they must “bless them that curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those that despitefully use you, and persecute you.” As is so often the case, Jesus’ teachings here, as elsewhere in the sermon, call for a standard of behavior difficult even for experienced Christians. Jesus’ explanation that God cares for all his children, causing the sun and rain to benefit the good and bad alike, provides the key. Loving and doing good to enemies may be difficult, even impossible on one’s own. But if one’s heart can be changed to become like Christ, the impossible becomes possible.

The Antitheses in the Context of Matthew 5

References to persecution and becoming children of our Father in Heaven in the sixth antithesis connect it, and all of the antitheses, to the Beatitudes. The eight and ninth beatitudes mention persecution (5:10–12). Likewise, the antithesis concerning retaliation and submissiveness echo the pronouncement “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” of the third beatitude (5:5) because the Greek term for meek, praeis , connotes humbleness and gentleness. [46] But because all the antitheses require different motivations and feelings—effectively a new heart—the sixth beatitude’s proclamation, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (5:8), perhaps best represents the result of living the principles in the antitheses.

Significantly, living according to the antitheses and developing the characteristics enjoined in the Beatitudes makes the believer more like the Master. The Beatitudes “are, in effect, Jesus’ character in words. The Beatitudes are both characteristics of and conditions enjoyed by the exalted—those who are or will be recipients of eternal life.” [47] Believers thus become “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (see Matthew 5:13–16). But the admonition to “let your light so shine before men” takes on added significance in view of Jesus’ teachings in the Book of Mormon, where he added, “Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up” (3 Nephi 18:24). When one acts as the Savior, one can better become like him. Nevertheless, the change of heart makes allowance for grace, because few, if any, are able to live fully the precepts of the Sermon on the Mount on their own.

Following the conclusion of the antitheses, Matthew 5 ends with what is sometimes known as the great injunction: “ Be ye therefore perfect , even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (5:48, emphasis added). The word translated as “be” is esesthe , a future form usually taken to be an imperatival future. [48] There is precedent for this just a few verses before, when Jesus enjoined, “Love your enemies” (5:44), also an imperatival future. But this form could also be a predicative future, [49] meaning that if we live according to the antitheses, we will, in due course, become perfect.

To be perfect here, however, does not necessarily connote being morally flawless, at least not in this life. As discussed elsewhere in this volume, the word translated “perfect” is teleios , meaning complete, full grown, or mature, [50] suggesting that disciples are to become mature spiritually in their walk with Christ. In Aristotelian philosophy, the telos was the model, end, or purpose of something, which it was struggling to become. Therefore, something is teleios when it attains its end or purpose. This concept applies nicely to both antitheses and the great injunction. By fulfilling the law with his teachings, Jesus addresses the change of heart necessary to achieve our purpose and become what God intends: a complete, spiritually mature being such as he is.

The implications are weighty. Just as Jesus challenged his original audience to look beyond the letter of the law to understand its purpose and intent, the concept of fulfilling the law encourages us to stretch our understanding of what it means to fulfill the law of Christ. The fact that Jesus maintained and indeed deepened the ethical precepts of the Mosaic code, especially as found in the Ten Commandments, means that ethical considerations remain mandatory for Christians. Since ethics essentially revolve about doing the right thing for the right reason, believers, now as well as then, must carefully determine not only what they should do and not do, but also why and how they live. Here the commandment to love all men provides the ultimate guide (see Matthew 22:36–39; Mark 12:28–31; Luke 10:27).

Today the six antitheses remain important templates for our discipleship. First, they are are as binding now as they were then in Galilee. Second, they model the kind of thinking believers should pursue as they strive to live any commandment or follow any practice of the law of the gospel. Seeking the spirit of the law rarely results in less observance than the letter of the law. Just as modern Apostles have raised the bar in qualifications for missionary service, [51] Jesus elevated the expectations for discipleship, challenging his followers to deeper spirituality and observance. In this regard, living according to the Sermon on the Mount, especially as illustrated in the antitheses, should be a challenge even for experienced Christians. Jesus’ call for a transformation of the heart and a higher standard of living is not a static one: wherever one is in his or her spiritual walk with Christ, one should be stirred to seek for more spiritual maturity, to becoming truly teleios , full grown and mature in stature, even as God our Father.

[1] Indeed JST, Matthew 5:21 confirms that Jesus taught that the law was to be taught and lived until it was fulfilled, although the Prophet seems to have been using the term fulfill here in the sense of “finish” or “bring to an end.”

[2] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature , ed. Frederick William Danker, 3 rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “plēroō,” 827–29; Gerhard Friedrich, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament , trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromley (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1968), s.v. “plēroō,” 6.286–298, n.b. 292–94. Admittedly we do not know exactly what Aramaic or perhaps even Hebrew words Jesus might have used, but we can assume that when translating the words of Jesus, Matthew employed Greek terms that best represented the meanings of the Master’s words.

[3] Bauer, Greek-English Lexicon , s.v. “katalyō,” 521–22; Gerhard Friedrich and Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (1973), s.v. “lyō, katalyō,” 4.338, where it is taken in 5:17 to mean “invalidate.” “[Matt 5:17] portrays Jesus as one who does not annul the law through partial modification, but rather fulfills ( plērōsai ) it” (H. Hübner, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament , ed. Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), s.v. “katalyō,” 264.

[4] A prime example of this can be seen in 3 Nephi 12:23–24, where the man’s bringing a gift to the altar in Matthew 5:23–24 is replaced by his coming to Jesus.

[5] For the last two, see Ulrich Luz, Matthew 1–7 , trans. Wilhelm C. Linss (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989), 260. For discussions of the fulfillment of the law in this sense, see William D. Davies, The Setting of the Sermon on the Mount (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1966), 27–32, and John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), 2005, 217–19.

[6] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 219.

[7] The mundane example of modern speed limits can be used to illustrate this. The original law may set the limit at 75 mph. When a new law changes to 55 mph, one still keeps the old law by observing the new.

[8] David C. Sim, The Gospel of Matthew and Christian Judaism (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998), 130.

[9] At the first occurrence of the formula amēn legō hymin , Mark 3:28, R.T. France notes that this formula “occurs regularly in all four gospels (though less frequently in Luke, and with a doubled amēn in John) and is generally agreed to be a hallmark of Jesus’ distinctive style of teaching. This bold assumption of authority (Jesus speaks in his own name, and his words, like the words of Yahweh in the OT, are ‘truth’) is unparalleled in Jewish literature ( The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002], 174–75).

[10] Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Boston: Hendrickson, 2008), entries based in ‘mn , 52–53; G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, eds., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament , trans. John T. Willis, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977), s.v. “‘āman,” 292–94, 320–23. Note also the connection with ‘ e meth for “truth.”

[11] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 219.

[12] Sim, Gospel of Matthew and Christian Judaism , 124–26.

[13] Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew , Sacra Pagina 1 (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1991), 81 n. 18.

[14] Rather than being a genitive of personal agent, as one would expect from the translation “by them of old times,” the construction is actually a dative indirect object.

[15] Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 437–38.

[16] See Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 228.

[17] See Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 274.

[18] Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 274 n. 1.

[19] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 235.

[20] Harrington, Gospel of Matthew , 86; Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 229.

[21] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 235.

[22] Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 284.

[23] “Although the reading with eikē is widespread from the second century onwards, it is much more likely that the word was added by copyists in order to soften the rigor of the precept, than omitted as unecessary” (Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament [New York: United Bible Societies, 1975], 13). See also Daniel K Judd and Allen W. Stoddard, “Adding and Taking Away ‘Without a Cause’ in Matthew 5:22,” in How the New Testament Came to Be (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006), 160–68.

[24] Judd, “Adding and Taking Away ‘Without a Cause’ in Matthew 5:22,” 168–70.

[25] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 231; Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 282, esp. n. 14.

[26] Bauer, Greek-English Lexicon , s.v. “mōros,” especially definition c, 663.

[27] Although some commentators point out that the Greek gynē here often refers to “a married woman” and should be taken so here (see, for example, Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 237), the base meaning of the term means “any adult female” and can include even virgins (Bauer, “gynē,” 208–209). In support of this, Luz notes that the Vulgate translated gynē not with uxor (wife) but with mulier (a woman in general) ( Matthew 1–7 , 292).

[28] Bauer, Greek-English Lexicon , s.v. “epithymeō,” 371–72.

[29] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 237.

[30] The preposition pros + infinitive, as in pros to epithymēsai here, indicates purpose and not result (Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics , 591); see also Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 236; Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 293.

[31] Harrington, Gospel of Matthew , 87; Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 238.

[32] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 240.

[33] Dallin H. Oaks, “Same-Gender Attraction,” Ensign , October 1995, 7.

[34] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 244–46; Harrington, Gospel of Matthew , 87–88.

[35] Harrington, Gospel of Matthew , 92.

[36] “But some marriages do not progress toward that ideal. Because ‘of the hardness of [our] hearts,’ the Lord does not currently enforce the consequences of the celestial standard” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Divorce,” Ensign , May 2007, 70).

[37] Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 248.

[38] Luz notes here that Jesus, “just as Judaism on the whole, is concerned about the sanctification of God’s name and about God’s majesty” ( Matthew 1–7 , 316).

[39] Some have noted that in later rabbinic writings a double affirmative or negative, like the “yea, yea; nay, nay” here can be construed as an implied oath, but that cannot be the intent here since Jesus has just forbidden all oaths (see Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew , 88).

[40] Harrington, Gospel of Matthew , 88. However, see also Nolland, Gospel of Matthew , 256.

[41] Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 325–26.

[42] Little is known about actual Roman practices in the holy land or elsewhere in this period, most characterizations of which are derived from this very verse and from the later example of Simon of Cyrene and not from contemporary Roman documents. The practice of pressing people and animals into temporary service is first documented much earlier for the Persian postal service (Nolland, Gospel of Matthew, 259–60). The Greek term used here for “compel,” aggareusei , is in fact a Persian loan word (see Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 326). The fact that such demands were not seen as specific to the Roman occupation is Jesus’ use of the same example in a New World context in 3 Nephi 12:41.

[43] R. T. France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 192.

[44] Harrington, Gospel of Matthew , 89 n. 43, notes as an example the Qumran directive to “hate all the sons of darkness” (1QS 1:10); see also the discussion of D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner in The Four Gospels (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006), 201–2.

[45] Some attempt has been made to interpret the Greek of Matthew, which uses echthros for enemy, to distinguish between a personal enemy (the Classical use of echthros ) and a national enemy ( polemios ) in this passage, but the Jewish use of echthros in the Septuagint is comprehensive, encompassing all types of enemies (see Luz, Matthew 1–7 , 342, especially n. 27).

[46] Bauer, Greek-English Lexicon , s.v. “praüs,” 861.

[47] Ogden and Skinner, Four Gospels , 173.

[48] The future indicative being used for a command involves two specific uses, the imperatival future (Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics , 569–70) and the cohortitive indicative. BDF §362 terms it “the future indicative for volitive expressions in main clauses (instead of the imperative and subjunctive)” and notes that it “is employed to render the categorical injunctions and prohibitions . . . in the legal language of the OT (not entirely so in classical).”

[49] Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics , 568.

[50] Bauer, Greek-English Lexicon , s.v. “teleios,” 995–96; see Frank F. Judd Jr., “‘Be Ye Therefore Perfect’: The Elusive Quest for Perfect,” in this volume. The Aramaic word presumably used by Christ is not known, but there seems to be clear resonance with the Hebrew words tam and tamim translated as “perfect” in reference to figures such as Noah, Abraham, and Job (see Genesis 6:9; 17:1; Job 1:1; Ogden and Skinner, Four Gospels , 203).

[51] See M. Russell Ballard, “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries,” Ensign , November 2002, 46–49; see also L. Tom Perry, “Raising the Bar,” Ensign , November 2007, 46–49.

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The Sermon On The Mount

A commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. Posted backwards so it can be read like a normal text. (Note: One section is posted last misplaced. Sorry.)

Monday, April 23, 2007

Six antitheses-- matthew 5:21-48, 2 comments:.

Thank you so much for writing these kind regards.

Excellent commentary on this part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus came to fulfill the law, and to give us a better understanding on how we should interpret it in our daily lives. Thank you for taking the time to write this

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The Six Antitheses of Jesus

Talking Points:

The law says don’t murder but Jesus says to be reconciled. Instead of being fueled by hatred, direct your energy towards peace. The law says don’t commit adultery but Jesus says to be radically pure. Get to the root of sexual sin and remove temptation before it leads to sin. Matthew 5:27-30, 1 Corinthians 6:18 The law says a man can divorce but Jesus says be selfless in marriage. Rather than looking for a loophole, spend your energy building a healthy marriage. Matthew 5:31-32 The law says don’t break a vow but Jesus says be a truth teller. Always tell the truth whether you’ve made commitments or not. The law says eye for an eye but Jesus says be a blessing. Rather than seeking revenge, find ways to bless others whether they deserve it or not. Matthew 5:38-44 The law says hate your enemies but Jesus says to be like Him. Choose love and grace for those that wrong you.

• Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
• What do you think the audience was thinking hearing these antitheses?
• Read Matthew 5:17-18. What was the purpose of the law? What had the law become to the Jews?
• Read Matthew 5:27-30 and 1 Corinthians 6:18. What is Jesus’ point in these verses? What does Paul say about sexual sin?
• Read Matthew 5:31-32. Why was a decision to divorce selfish back then? What’s the better way to deal with a struggling marriage?
• Read Matthew 5:38-44. In your opinion, what does it look like to live out these words with your “enemies”?
• Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

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How AI Is Already Transforming Fortune 500 Businesses, According to Their CEOs

At a recent Yale CEO Summit, Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld talked to business leaders about the AI tools and other new technologies appearing everywhere from back offices to fast-food kitchens. Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian outline the looming changes in a variety of sectors.

A Chipotle chef with Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant that makes tortilla chips

• Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies & Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management
• Steven Tian Director of Research, Chief Executive Leadership Institute

At a recent Yale CEO Summit we convened online to mark the 50th anniversary of the invention of the internet in 1974, top Fortune 500 CEOs revealed how they are reinventing their businesses around artificial intelligence (AI), clean energy, and other emerging technologies.

The most tangible, impactful implementations of AI are often taking place in traditional business sectors. As one of our speakers, Steve Case, the CEO of Revolution Growth, put it: “We’re seeing a transition from AI being a big horizontal platform, the large language models centered in Silicon Valley, to more vertical AI deployed in industry verticals, which creates an opportunity all across the country, from factory floors in Ohio to ag tech in the Midwest to biotech labs.”

However, this transformative process is rife with business, regulatory, and technical challenges that must be carefully managed. Here are some insights from our Yale CEO Summit that stood out about how top CEOs say they are adapting their business models around AI, digital disruption, and emerging technologies.

A transformation at every layer of the consumer market

Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol discussed how the pioneering fast-casual restaurant chain is using automation and AI to alleviate pain points for their employees: “We’ve heard feedback from our team members that the jobs they don’t enjoy doing include frying chips and cutting, coring, and scooping avocadoes, so we’ve been finding automated solutions that can take care of that prep in a consistent way.”

One example is Chippy the robot , which makes tortilla chips. Rather than replacing human workers, Niccol sees these robots as complimentary: “One of our biggest challenges is getting prep done on time for opening every day, especially if someone calls off in the morning and the team is short a person.”

At Kroger’s, one of the nation’s largest grocery chains, CEO Rodney McMullen showed us how AI modeling has helped reduce checkout times by 50%, with digital twins synchronized with store layouts and traffic allowing for the visualization, simulation, and optimization of self-checkout lines with cashier check-out lines—especially helpful since Kroger is facing 18,000 vacant positions amidst a labor shortage.

Moving from food services to hospitality and travel, Glenn Fogel, the CEO of Booking Holdings, said that he is already “seeing significant improvements” in how AI is personalizing travel recommendations and tailoring travel experiences to better fit customers’ needs. “Instead of looking at brochure after brochure, trying to see what interests our customers, AI can offer an even better match with what our customers want to do. It knows your preferences, it doesn’t forget what your preferences are, and it’s all in the database.”

Similarly, Greg Maffei, the CEO of Liberty Media, which owns a significant stake in TripAdvisor, recently announced a new partnership with OpenAI and launched a new AI travel itinerary generator. That product, which is currently in public beta testing, uses AI to filter through TripAdvisor’s more than one billion user-generated reviews to create AI-generated itineraries with suggested hotels and activities based on a customer’s stated interests and preferences.

American Airlines Chair and former CEO Doug Parker shared that many airlines are similarly using AI to streamline the flight reservation process, but cautioned that there are limits to what AI can do. “Nobody seems comfortable with positions such as mechanics and flight attendants being totally automated away.”

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey eloquently synthesized how he sees the applicability of AI to consumer-facing companies: “I would break it into three layers, and with each layer, it becomes slightly less clear where it’ll end up. The obvious layer is how AI can help the internal workings of the organization. How AI can support and enable people internally, with call centers and client interactions, is relatively straightforward and obvious. The second layer, which is slightly more difficult but emerging with greater clarity, is how AI can help the sales force and help us be better partners to the retailers… The third level, which is least clear, is what we can do with generative AI and marketing. We’ve made available the Coke media assets, letting people make new images, putting them on electronic billboards.”

Getting your money’s worth from technology—perspectives from global finance

Within financial services, several CEOs shared how AI is helping transform how clients interact with their financial institutions. Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, explained the thinking that went into their proprietary “Erica” voice-activated banking assistant which has helped customers in over 2 billion interactions.

“First, we had to build a language which was recognized for banking, and then build a structure which works in a controlled, regulated environment, which is what financial services is. Then, we had to think about how we could deliver our product to 60 million customers, keeping in mind that those customers would be asking specific questions related to a transaction in one of 60 million accounts, as a part of 110 different systems and types of transactions… Take a question such as, ‘What is my balance,’ which sounds remarkably simple. But if you put it into a query ten years ago, you would’ve gotten answers ranging from a picture to a scale to yoga class imitations. So we had to build a bespoke banking language. It is not ChatGPT, but it is a core application which is a roadmap for ways we can use AI technology, first in the consumer business, and now in the institutional business… And we’re adding future functionality such as putting it into an institutional setting with Cashpro. And of course, we’ve been focused on keeping it accountable and verifiable, in the context that we are liable for the outcome of a question, irrespective of what device was used to answer a question.”

The theme of using AI to streamline customer service and interactions with customers was also emphasized by Affirm CEO Max Levchin. “I think one of the overlooked opportunities in AI is that all of us in financial services have a lot of customers who are asking for help or struggling to understand something… We found an extraordinarily useful application was before a customer is directed to a human—and we do guarantee that they can get through to a human—we filter their inbound request through an AI chatbot, which will help our customer service team understand what the customer is asking for.”

Driving smart vehicles into an electric, autonomous, digital future

General Motors CEO Mary Barra explained that the cyclical downturn in EV demand does not change the fact that the EV transformation will continue to accelerate as reliable recharging infrastructure is built. “The EV transformation is ongoing, and we’ll get there as we drive greater affordability and range, give customers choice, and develop affordable and accessible charging infrastructure. But even more significant is the fact that the vehicle is becoming a software platform, and the ultimate piece of that is autonomy. Ninety-nine percent of fatalities are caused by human error; autonomous technology will help us eliminate that.”

Nick Pinchuk, the CEO of Snap-On, which services about 600,000 repair shops worldwide, discussed how the company has added data center functionality with its proprietary ShopKey Pro software on top of its traditional tools business: “Cars have progressed from dozens of trouble codes in the 90s, to tens of thousands of trouble codes today. Today, to diagnose a car, you hook a laptop to it or hook it wirelessly, to read the algorithms of what the car is really saying. To interpret that, you need databases. We have databases with billions of car records, actual repair events, and from that, AI and machine learning will draw out even more efficient repair lessons moving forward.”

In addition to the high-tech auto repair software business flourishing, the EV boom has also driven a need for more hard tools, Pinchuk explained. “We make tools for all vehicle repairs. The geometries of the cars themselves have become far more complex. We love it when the EVs roll into the garages, because that means the repair shop needs tools for both EVs and internal combustion engines, as well as plug-in hybrids.”

Electrification and autonomy are trends that extend far beyond just consumer vehicles. “We’ve electrified a lot of vehicles that just a couple of years ago, people thought weren’t electrifiable,” specialty truck builder Oshkosh CEO John Pfeifer said. “Things like a 80,000-pound airport rescue and firefighting vehicle, and a 40,000-pound municipal fire truck, and we’re moving on from there… Every vehicle we send out today is completely connected for communications in real time, so our customers know exactly where it’s functioning and what’s going on with the vehicle, and we’re continuing to develop these software services to make these vehicles more effective.”

Michael Happe, the CEO of Winnebago Industries, said that the leading RV company has introduced concept electric RVs into the market for some testing by customers. “The other thing that’s quickly happening is the digital transformation around the outdoor lifestyle experience. We have developed the ability to connect consumers’ phones to systems on our product, so they can operate them remotely. So when they get back from hiking or camping, that vehicle is cooled down.”

At AGCO, one of the leading tractor makers, CEO Eric Hansotia has transformed the company into a provider of smart-farming software solutions. “Almost all of our machines now have onboard compute sensors that can understand variations in the soil and crop. One of the features we’re coming out with now is the ability to have vision systems on the sprayer, so it can identify the difference between a weed and a crop, and have the sprayer hit only the weed, and hit with the right kind and amount of chemicals.”

Connecting national defense

At aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin, many of the digital transformations described above have already taken place. In an exchange between CNBC anchor Morgan Brennan and Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, Brennan shared that not only did she ride in one of the first autonomous Black Hawk helicopters a few months ago, but as far back as 2017, she was impressed to see the use of digital twins when she visited the F-35 factory floor, while others are just now starting to use digital twins in their businesses.

Taiclet is now aiming even higher, not only transforming advanced manufacturing but also ambitious connecting national defense towards its “5G, Internet-of-Things future.”

“There is a huge opportunity to bring the imagination and potential of the internet to national defense. How do we connect the devices, the core network we need, digital technology, software, etc. to be more effective at deterring armed conflict in the 21st century? Our goal has been to advocate for and implement, at least at our company, a 5G, Internet of Things, open architecture approach to everything we do. We want to broaden that out all the way across the entire aerospace and defense industry, for all of our colleagues to work off of, and the way to get there is to have a standards body like 3GPP in the telecoms sector where we work off the same protocols, APIs, interfaces, frequencies, etc.”

Ripple effects on infrastructure and energy

“It takes half a liter of water every time you ask a question on an AI chatbot, and it uses ridiculous amounts of energy,” tech venture capitalist Roger McNamee reminded us.

The point that many underestimate the scale to which AI will require greater infrastructure and energy investments was further buttressed by Silver Lake Founder Glenn Hutchins. “I think people are spending too much time thinking about the models, and not enough time understanding the scale and complexity of the infrastructure we’re going to need to get all of this done. It’s not just about securing GPUs from Nvidia. It’s about finding the location for data centers, equipping them with power, and protecting their data. The biggest pinch point of all may be energy. Just look at how the stocks of unregulated nuclear facilities have taken off.”

Lynn Good, the CEO of Duke Energy, shared insights about how one of the nation’s largest utilities is thinking about this challenge. “We are seeing growth in demand across the Southeast, from a broad diversifying range of sources. Growth has become the story of the utilities industry, and the market is realizing that. There’s data centers, some of which are foundational cloud computing data centers, but increasingly a lot of data centers are from AI. We have chipmakers, battery manufacturers, and pharma companies growing… And it does matter to us what kind of energy user you are… So, we are embracing partnership, we recently announced an MOU with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google as well as another large industrial customer with clean energy aspirations, to find ways to partner.”

Mike Kasbar, the CEO of World Kinect, one of the nation’s largest fuel services companies, put it all in perspective: “We’re in the dot-com period of sustainability, and on top of that, we have the remarkable confluence between energy and compute technology companies right now. Energy is the antithesis of GLP1 drugs: With energy, the more you consume, the hungrier you get. And when you look at the connection between technology and energy, it’s exponential.”

Of course, AI requires digital infrastructure in addition to physical infrastructure. Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies, pointed out that “as we’re moving from calculating and computing towards cognition, that’s a big change for the industry since we’ve been doing calculating for 50 years. What do you need for this transition? You need more data, you need more compute, you need more memory, you need more data storage, you need more servers, you need more networking. These are all things we do, so our company is built for this moment”.

Revolutionizing drug discovery and healthcare

Jack Hidary, the CEO of SandboxAQ, put into perspective the opportunity arising from AI within healthcare: “To get to the next level, you need the next generation of AI, which is not trained on random stuff from the internet, but what actually happens in the real world… Using Nvidia technology, and CUDA, and our software at SandboxAQ, we can make a digital twin of these drug candidates, and then we can run millions and then billions of simulations using this hardware-software combination. That will reduce the time it takes to get lifesaving drugs. You still have to do clinical trials, no shortcuts around that, but the stimulations you can run from the digital twins can streamline drug discovery.”

CEO Brian Tyler of McKesson also joined us at our meeting. McKesson, which rather remarkably distributes a third of the total pharmaceutical volume in the U.S., has also been helping train machine learning models using an analytics-powered healthcare map to help doctors diagnose illnesses with more precision, as well as using robotics to process and pack orders.

Fortifying public trust and national security in a digital world

Several participants repeatedly cited comments by former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty about fortifying the role of trust in a digital world. ”It is the same issue for the internet, for data privacy, for AI, and for quantum computing… The issue we have right now, to build trust, you have to address the upside of technology and in parallel, the downside, at the same time… If you’re clear on who owns the technology and the data, and who gets the benefits, and things are transparent, explainable, and free of bias, that’s what we need.”

Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber Anne Neuberger shared key lessons for regulating AI from her experience in cybersecurity. “In cyber, just as there is in AI, most of the critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and connected to the internet in ways that are not secure enough… First, we need to make sure that any applications of AI are built more securely, to guard against attacks that range from poisoning the actual algorithms to hacking the models, stealing the models, or hacking the data upon which they were trained. And second, we need to ensure that before AI is used across our critical infrastructure such as water, pipelines, and railways, we’ve built-in protections like transparency on what data they’re trained on, adequate red teaming of models, keeping a human in the loop on key decisions, and ensuring that before operational systems are connected to AI models, we’ve tested them and built-in guardrails as well.”

Former Homeland Security advisor Tom Bossert expressed concern that “the effectiveness and cost of the regulations are imposed on businesses using the internet, not on the providers or developers or operating systems… I see compliance costs continuing to grow and I don’t see them translating into greater security results.”

Chris Krebs, the founding director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, struck a more optimistic tone: “While this regulatory and enforcement challenge will not be solved overnight, the policy arc has been fairly consistent and bipartisan. Krebs also expressed optimism that “AI-enabled defenses are outstripping the capabilities of adversaries to attack our critical infrastructure, in large part thanks to capital markets, innovation, and the investments companies are putting into it.”

The theme of public-private partnerships was reinforced by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who said “There has to be even greater partnership between the tech industry and government.”

Greg Brown, the CEO of Motorola, a leader in providing and provisioning private communications networks for public safety and first responders in North America and around the world, across 911 software, call dispatching, call handling, records and evidentiary management; and all things video, fixed license plate recognition, and mobile video, shared his vision of striking the right balance. “We are being very mindful and measured in what we put in our public safety and security products. Whatever descriptive or generative AI is doing, it is validated and verified with a human in the loop, whether that is a security operations person, a 911 dispatcher, a first responder, or so forth. But AI can help improve accuracy and efficiency. With 911 calls, if you respond faster by one minute, that saves 10,000 lives in the U.S.,” Brown said.

Brown also raised the implications of fortifying public trust: “Motorola was the very first company in China in 1986, with the Galvins. We sued Huawei, we were only the second company after Cisco and John Chambers to do so. We’re in the middle of the seventh year of litigation against a company called Hytera. There is a lot of stuff people don’t agree on politically, but I think one thing which is truly bipartisan, and which Washington and the business community are getting right, is our approach to China.”

Steve Bandrowczak, the CEO of Xerox, also echoed the theme of trust in data and technology. “Given the physical world is colliding now with the digital world at a rate we’ve never seen before, we need to understand the data, who owns the data, where it is, where it is in transit… There’s a tremendous amount of complexity around who owns this data, and there will only be more personal data which is generated moving forward. We’re using AI at Xerox to defend and validate the origin and destination of data, and to make sure data is not changed in transit.”

The blockchain’s potential

Joe Lubin, the founder of cryptocurrency Ethereum, said that “for centuries, society has been organized via top-down trust and control. Authorities would operate through intermediaries, but in 2008, Satoshi came up with one of the most profound inventions of our time, which is decentralized trust. Blockchains, databases which we can all use and inspect with transparency, are growing increasingly scalable and will be ready for large-scale applications soon, and web3 is the natural evolution of the internet and web technologies. Blockchain can be orders of magnitude more secure than current internet protocols because it is built on cryptography from the bottom up and it is fundamentally user-centric, with shared trust rather than hierarchical trust.”

Jeffrey Solomon, the president of TD Cowen, also discussed the potential of crypto, adding that “Many advocate for a 33 Act equivalent for crypto. I’ve said for years that we benefit from the U.S. being the world’s reserve currency, and crypto is a threat to that in the long term if it is widely adopted, so we need to create a framework where capital can still flow to the U.S., whether it’s in fiat currency, trade, or crypto, or else some other society will do that for crypto and crypto money will flow to that society.”

Investment strategies in a disrupted market

CEOs were split on the right strategies to adopt from an investor’s perspective. Several participants raised the question of how companies are measuring return on AI investments. As CNBC Anchor Morgan Brennan put it, “The question for me is the return on investment piece. It seems that is still a huge unknown.

Brennan’s concerns were echoed by Evercore Activism Defense head Bill Anderson, who said, “One thing to keep in mind is shareholders are having a difficult time determining how much companies should invest in AI, measuring the returns on investment, and discerning winners and losers from AI within sectors, putting aside the Nvidias and pure-play AI companies.”

Mason Morfit, the CEO of investment firm ValueAct, said “We don’t invest in leading-edge technologies as much as we invest in incumbents that adopt technology a few years after the leading wave has crashed on the beach, so to speak. The shiniest new things always get a lot of attention, but we see some really interesting opportunities with incumbent businesses adopting earlier versions of AI and machine learning.”

Morfit calls these kinds of incumbent businesses grappling with technological disruptions the “Once and Future Kings” and points to his firm’s proven track record in helping incumbents adapt successfully to technological change, whether it was helping Microsoft bridge the end of the PC era into the beginning of cloud computing or 21st Century Fox bridge the transition to the streaming era.

On the other hand, Lloyd Blankfein, Senior Chairman of Goldman Sachs, gave his verdict on investing in the most cutting-edge technologies. “We invested heavily in emerging technologies. Some of it worked, all of it we were excited about, some of it we should have been excited about and some of it less so. All of it sounded terrific and we had to keep an oar in every pool to keep up. But the most important thing I could contribute in that role was just being a good goalie and keeping our spending in check. Not each technological lead will work out, and you have to take a deep breath and look at them more clinically and don’t get too caught up in the excitement, because these are business and financial decisions and not just technological ambition.”

Clearly, the insights shared with us by 200 top CEOs suggest that some of the most transformative uses of AI are taking place in plain sight at some of the world’s largest companies. These experienced non-tech titans embody the wisdom of Louis Pasteur regarding innovation in the field of practice, “Chance favors the mind that is prepared.”

• Data and AI