What are some techniques to use contrast and antithesis to highlight your main points?

Contrast and antithesis are powerful rhetorical devices that can help you make your speech more memorable, persuasive, and impactful. They involve presenting opposing or contrasting ideas, words, or images to highlight your main points and create a sense of balance, tension, or surprise. In this article, you will learn some techniques to use contrast and antithesis effectively in your speech writing.

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1 Why use contrast and antithesis?

Using contrast and antithesis in your speech can help you capture the attention of your audience and emphasize the importance of your message. It can also clarify the differences or similarities between two options, situations, or perspectives, while reinforcing your arguments with evidence or examples. Moreover, contrast and antithesis can create a memorable impression and phrase.

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2 How to use contrast and antithesis?

Using contrast and antithesis in your speech can be done in various ways, depending on the purpose, tone, and style of the speech. For instance, you can use parallelism to structure sentences or phrases in a similar fashion but with contrasting words or meanings; for example, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." You can also use antonyms or opposites to create a sharp contrast between two concepts or qualities; for example, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Juxtaposition is another technique that involves placing two contrasting ideas, images, or examples next to each other without explicitly connecting them; for example, "Some see a weed, some see a wish." Irony or sarcasm is another way to say the opposite of what you mean, or to imply a contradiction between what is expected and what is reality; for example, "What a beautiful day for a funeral." Lastly, oxymoron combines two contradictory words or terms into one expression; for example, "Deafening silence."

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Michael Gladkoff 📚✍️🎙️

Copywriter, Speechwriter, Editor, Speaker and Trainer | Persuasion Professor | Author of two books on persuasive communication: Speech Power and Speaking For Freedom
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You can use contrast and antithesis on macro and micro levels. On a macro level, you can tell two contrasting stories. For example, in a speech I wrote for a CEO who needed to promote change in his company, I included two contrasting stories of well-known businesses. One implemented changes and was able to thrive – the other failed to do this and went out of business. On a micro level, you can use antithesis as a figure of speech. Here’s an example from a speech by Barry Goldwater: “Equality, rightly understood, as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences. Wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and to despotism.”

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3 What to avoid when using contrast and antithesis?

When using contrast and antithesis, it is important to be aware of potential pitfalls. Overuse of these techniques can make your speech sound clichéd, repetitive, or confusing. Additionally, make sure that your contrasts or antitheses support your message and audience’s understanding. It is also important to ensure that your contrasts or antitheses are accurate and appropriate for the topic, audience, or occasion. Using them inappropriately can undermine credibility, values, or goals.

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4 How to practice using contrast and antithesis?

To master contrast and antithesis, it's important to practice using them in your speech writing and delivery. You can start by analyzing and learning from examples of contrast and antithesis in speeches by famous speakers. Experimenting with different techniques of contrast and antithesis will help you understand how they affect your tone, mood, and impact. Additionally, it's beneficial to get feedback from others on how well you use contrast and antithesis and how they enhance or detract from your speech. Finally, revise and refine your speech until you find the right balance and effect of contrast and antithesis.

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5 How to measure the effectiveness of contrast and antithesis?

To evaluate how well you use contrast and antithesis in your speech, you can consider criteria such as audience engagement and response, message clarity and persuasion, and speech memorability and impact. Audience reactions such as attentiveness, interest, and responsiveness to your speech can indicate how successful your contrasts or antitheses are. Additionally, contrasts or antitheses can help clarify, illustrate, or support your main points. Furthermore, they can create a lasting impression or a memorable phrase. By applying the techniques, avoiding the pitfalls, practicing the skills, and measuring the results, you can use contrast and antithesis to highlight your main points and achieve your speech goals.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are some techniques to use contrast and antithesis to highlight your main points?

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1 Why use contrast and antithesis?

2 How to use contrast and antithesis?

3 What to avoid when using contrast and antithesis?

4 How to practice using contrast and antithesis?

5 How to measure the effectiveness of contrast and antithesis?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Speech Writing

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