[Leica] Time Photos of the Year

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

The term oxymoron is commonly incorrectly used as two words which are the
opposite of each other. They must be more than that. They must be a paradox.

"A paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun ("eloquent
silence") or adverb-adjective ("inertly strong") relationship, and is used
for effect, to emphasize contrasts, incongruities, hypocrisy, or simply the
complex nature of reality. Examples: wise fool, ignorantly learned, laughing
sadness, pious hate. Some others: I do here make humbly bold to present them
with a short account of themselves and their art. . . . --Jonathan Swift *
The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his
head. . . . --Alexander Pope * He was now sufficiently composed to order a
funeral of modest magnificence, suitable at once to the rank of a Nouradin's
profession, and the reputation of his wealth. --Samuel Johnson Oxymoron can
be useful when things have gone contrary to expectation, belief, desire, or
assertion, or when your position is opposite to another's which you are
discussing. The figure then produces an ironic contrast which shows, in your
view, how something has been misunderstood or mislabeled: Senator Rosebud
calls this a useless plan; if so, it is the most helpful useless plan we
have ever enacted. * The cost-saving program became an expensive economy.
Other oxymorons, as more or less true paradoxes, show the complexity of a
situation where two apparently opposite things are true simultaneously,
either literally ("desirable calamity") or imaginatively ("love precipitates
delay"). Some examples other writers have used are these: scandalously nice,
sublimely bad, darkness visible, cheerful pessimist, sad joy, wise fool,
tender cruelty, despairing hope, freezing fire. An oxymoron should
preferably be yours uniquely; do not use another's unless it is relatively
obvious formulation (like "expensive economy") which anyone might think of.
Also, the device is most effective when the terms are not common opposites.
So, instead of "a low high point," you might try "depressed apex" or
something."

>From a glossary of literary terms.


--------------------
Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/
mark at rabinergroup.com
Cars:   http://tinyurl.com/2f7ptxb




> From: "Henning J. Wulff" <henningw at archiphoto.com>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:43:14 -0800
> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Time Photos of the Year
> 
> The 'whole story' is an oxymoron.
>