

Whether one generalizes about war or peace, everything ends up the same way with the same outcome.Īn antithesis is a form of parallelism. The two contrasting statements, “Almost everything is true” and “Almost nothing is true,” are used to emphasize the absurdity of war and how impossible it is to define. To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace. O’Brien’s most famous novel features a well-known quote in which readers can find an example of parallelism.

He goes on to use “love is” again and repeats the word “less” at the beginning of three lines. The poem is a great example of how Cummings used language and grammar in a way that it had never been before. Cummings poem, the poet uses several examples of parallelism. In this case, the lines do not contrast one another. This example of parallelism is a great way to show how the same structure can be used for emphasis. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. “I have a dream that one day” is used at the beginning of each passage. In this famous and moving speech, there is a clear use of parallelism. I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

He also creates several compelling contrasts with “best” and “worst,” “Light” and “darkness,” and so on. When looking over this passage, it’s clear that Dickens was using the same line structure, “It was the…” over and again. 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. Here is an excerpt from the novel that demonstrates, in several different ways, how the device might be used. They also happen to be an example of parallelism, specifically antithesis. It can create interesting examples of repetition, rhythm, and rhyme.Įxamples of Parallelism in Literature A Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensĪ Tale of Two Cities has some of the most famous opening lines of all time. Parallelism is especially powerful when it’s used in poetry. Some of those are listed below, but there are many more one might stumble upon when going about one’s life. While parallelism sounds complicated, there are many common examples in everyday speech and conversations. For example, a writer might use the same structure to compare two different, juxtaposing ideas and emphasize that contrast. There are many possible ways that parallel structures can be applied. It could be used in a play, poem, novel, or short story. Parallelism is a common literary device that writers can use in their creations. 2 Examples of Parallelism in Literature.
