Question

Erika comes across a statement in a story that seems contradictory but actually presents a truth. Which literary device is the author using?
hyperbole
paradox
irony
symbolism

Answer 1

The correct answer would be paradox. A paradox is a figure of speech or a literary device that seems contradictory but actually presents a truth. It uses two different ideas that appear to be senseless and contradicting but when you check and study it, it reveals some kind of truth. 

Answer 2

In literature, a paradox is a literary device found in statements that may seem silly, absurd, self-contradictory, and usually opposite to what is commonly believed or accepted in society, but that has a great potential to be true, and it may actually be. This is exactly the type of statement that Erika finds in the story: A paradox.

An example of a paradox may be "This is the beginning of the end", The beginning and the end may look like two completely opposite concepts, however, in reality, we can find that some "ends" actually mark the "beginning" of something else. For example, the end of a toxic relationship may signify the beginning of a healing time for yourself.