Question

Identify the opposing ideas, and then

explain the truth contained in each of
these paradoxes:
a. "I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was." (page 214)
b. "I felt as if I alone of all my townmen had paid my tax." (page 214)

Answer 1

The opposing ideas in this paradox are that there is a wall of stone between the speaker and their townsmen, and that it is difficult for the townsmen to get to the speaker. The truth contained in this paradox is that physical barriers can be difficult to overcome, but that there is often an even greater challenge in overcoming the psychological and emotional barriers that exist between people.