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 About Cleanth Brooks

 Cleanth Brooks (1906-1994) was an American

literary critic and professor, and one of the
leading figures in the New Criticism movement in
the mid-20th century.
 Brooks was born in Murray, Kentucky, in 1906.
 In this essay he talks about paradox.
 Some of his most influential works
include Modern Poetry and the
Tradition (1939), The Well Wrought Urn (1947),
and The Heresy of Paraphrase (1947).
 introduction of language of paradox by
Cleanth Brooks

In his essay "The Language of Paradox," Brooks argues that

paradox is essential to
poetry. He defines paradox
as "a statement that seems
to contradict itself, but
which may contain some
truth." He says that poets
use paradox to express
complex and contradictory
ideas that cannot be easily
explained in a straightforward way.

ESSAY
Paradox: a statement that seems to contradict itself but may
contain some truth.

Ex- everything I say is a lie.

we should be more open to the idea of paradox in poetry.
Paradoxes can be used to express complex ideas and emotions
in a way that other types of language cannot. They can also
help us to see the world in a new way.
 The more I learn, the more I
realize how much I don't
know." - Albert Einstein

This paradox suggests that the

more we learn, the more we
realize how much we still need
to learn. It is a reminder that
we should always be humble and
open to new knowledge.

Paradoxes can be challenging, but they can also be rewarding.

They can help us to think more deeply about the world around
us and to see things in a new light.

Poetry and science seem to

require different types of
language. Scientists need to use
language that is very precise and
free of paradoxes. Poets, on the
other hand, need to use language
that is more expressive and can
accommodate paradoxes
Paradoxes are important in poetry because they can help
poets to express complex ideas and emotions that would
otherwise be difficult to express. Paradoxes can also help
poets to see the world in a new way and to share that new way
of seeing with their readers.
it is important to be open to the idea of paradox in poetry.
The title of the chapter, "The Language of Paradox", is itself
a paradox. This suggests that the author is trying to make a
point about the importance of paradox in poetry.
William Wordsworth's
poetry is a good example
of how paradox can be
used in poetry without
being sophistical or
complicated.
Wordsworth's poems are
often simple and direct,
but they often contain
hidden paradoxes that can
help us to see the world in a new way.
example of a paradox in Wordsworth's poetry is the poem
"Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey." In this
poem, the speaker describes how his
relationship with nature has changed
over time. The speaker says that when
he was a child, he was simply content to
be in nature. But now that the speaker is
an adult, the speaker is able to
appreciate nature on a deeper level.
The paradox in this poem is that the
speaker's appreciation of nature has
increased over time, even though the speaker has spent less
time in nature as an adult. This paradox suggests that our
appreciation of nature does not come simply from spending
time in nature, but rather from reflecting on our experiences
in nature.
Wordsworth's sonnet "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is
one of his most successful poems, but it is difficult to explain
why. The poem does not have a
noble sentiment or brilliant
images. It simply describes the
beauty of the city in the morning
light.
The speaker is overwhelmed by
the beauty of the city and the
stillness of the morning.
the poem's success is due to its
simplicity. The poem is written in
plain language and does not use any complicated imagery. This
allows the reader to focus on the speaker's emotional
response to the scene.

The poet is surprised that the city of London can be beautiful

in the morning light. He expects mountains to be beautiful,
but he is surprised that a dirty and crowded city can also be
beautiful.
The poet's exclamation shows how surprised he is by the
beauty of the city. He has never seen the sun rise over a city
and make it look so beautiful. The poet is suggesting that even
the most unexpected things can be beautiful.

Brooks says that

Wordsworth’s poem “it is
a beauteous of evening,
calm and free” is filled
with paradoxical
statements.in this poem,
the speaker is filled with
worship, while his female
companion does not seem
to be. the paradox
discovered by the poem’s end is that the girl is more full of
worship than the speaker precisely because she is always
consumed with sympathy for nature and not -as is the
speaker-in tune with nature immersed in it.

Romantic poets used paradoxes to make the familiar world

seem new and wonderful. They wanted their readers to see
the world in a new light and to appreciate its wonder and
mystery.

Neoclassical poets also used paradoxes, but for a similar

reason. They wanted their readers to think about the
contradictory nature of human beings.
Both Romantic and neoclassical poets used paradoxes to
challenge their readers and to make them think about the
world in new ways.

Pope's paradoxes in "An Essay on

Man" focus on the irony of human
existence. We are intelligent, but we
also make mistakes. We are powerful,
but we are also vulnerable.

Pope's paradoxes are similar to

Wordsworth's paradoxes in that they
both challenge their readers to think
about the world in new ways.
However, Pope's paradoxes are more
ironic, while Wordsworth's paradoxes are more awe-
inspiring(extraordinary).

Poets use words in new and unexpected ways to create

meaning. Science, on the other hand, tries to stabilize terms
and give them strict denotations. This means that scientists
use words very carefully and precisely so that there is no
confusion about what they mean.
Poets use language in a disruptive way. They juxtapose words
in new and unexpected ways to create new meanings. This can
be challenging for readers, but it can also be very rewarding.
It can help us to see the world in new ways and to appreciate
the beauty and complexity of language.
the poet compares the
emotion to something else
that is easier to understand.
For example, a poet might
compare sadness to a dark
cloud or anger to a fire.

Here is a simple example of a

paradox in poetry:

Love is a poison, but it is the sweetest.

This paradox expresses the idea that love can be both painful
and pleasurable. It is a complex emotion that cannot be easily
explained.

In John Donne's poem "Canonization," the poet

compares his profane love to divine love. He
does this by using a paradox, which is a
statement that seems to contradict itself. For
example, Donne says that he and his lover have
renounced the world, but they have done so by
entering into each other's bodies. This is a
paradox because the body is often seen as
being opposed to the soul.
Modern people may have difficulty understanding Donne's
poem because we are not used to thinking in paradoxes. We
tend to want things to be either black or white, yes or no. But
Donne is saying that life is not that simple. Love is complex
and contradictory, and so is the language we use to talk about
it.

The author is saying that the

creative imagination is a powerful
tool that can help us to see the
world in new and unexpected ways.
It can help us to find connections
between things that seem to be
unrelated. It can also help us to
understand the complex and
contradictory nature of reality.

Some common themes that are explored through the language

of paradox include:

Love: Love is often described as a paradox. It

can be both passionate and gentle, selfish and
selfless, joyful and painful.

Life and death: Life and death

are two sides of the same coin.
They are both essential to the cycle of
existence.
 Truth: Truth can be difficult to define or to know for sure.
What is true for one person may not be true for another.
 Beauty: Beauty is often subjective. What is considered
beautiful by one person may not be considered beautiful by
another.
 The meaning of life: The meaning of life is a question that has
been pondered by philosophers and theologians for centuries.
There is no one answer that will satisfy everyone.

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