1984 - Paradox

"Stupidity was as necessary as intelligence, and as difficult to attain," (279).

This paradox appears as Winston is trying to force himself to conform to the ideals of the Party. He does everything in his power to stop his prior thoughts from escaping his mouth. Winston is intelligent and he knows it. He is certain of the fact that the Party lies and that the world used to be greatly different. But in order to survive such a world, he needed to get rid of this intelligence or find a way to bury it away so it would not be clear to others. Stupidity was what all the true followers of the Party had. Stupidity was conformity without any thought. It meant never questioning, being curious, or seeking answers. It meant blind acceptance of whatever was handed to you. Winston recognized such stupidity in his world which is what drove him to seek revolt. After torture though, he seems to wish he was just as stupid as all the rest.

Paradox in "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"

In the first stanza of "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," the speaker commands his father, "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day..." The night refers to death throughout this poem. The author uses other images of night to describe death such as in line 4 when the speaker states, "wise men at their end know dark is right..." Death is referred to as a good thing and as the right thing. However, the speaker tells his father to "not go gentle" into death. This is a paradox because usually if something is referred to as a good thing, then it would seem natural to want to have it. But instead the speaker suggests that "wise men...rage against the dying of the light." This paradox is justified through the speaker's feelings for his father. He does not want his dad to die, even if it is the right thing. He cares about his father and does not want to be without him on earth.

Paradox in "Batter my heart, three-personed God"

Question 13: Point out and explain any examples of paradox... What is their function?

In "Batter my heart, three personed God" many paradoxes can be found. An example of one is in lines 12-13.

"Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free..."

It seems odd for the speaker to ask God to imprison him to make him free. Doesn't being imprisoned imply that one is trapped or confined? However, here the speaker is stating that being imprisoned or confined in God is his best possible option. It would steer him away from evil and sin. He would be completely consumed in God which therefore brings him freedom of all evil.