Question

Henry was fascinated with the play he was reading. The situation seemed contradictory at first, yet made sense with more thought. Which literary device is the author using?

Answer 1

Answer: Paradox

A paradox is a statement that, despite appearing to come from valid reasoning based on true premises, leads to a contradictory or logically unacceptable conclusion. When reading a paradox, it is usually difficult to ascertain whether the statement is logical or not. Therefore, if Henry could not decide whether the situation was contradictory or logical, it is likely that the author was using a paradox.

Answer 2

In the phrase, "Henry was fascinated with the play he was reading. The situation seemed contradictory at first, yet made sense with more thought" the author is using a literary device called "persuasion".