Dialogue Implications for Paradox in the Speech of Imam Ali (Peace be Upon Him)

Abstract

Paradox is an ambiguous term that raises confusion and has a long history that extends back to the early literary ages. It comes from a keen mind, and a keen awareness of the self and its surroundings, and the paradox is a rhetorical expression in which the literal meaning of the word or phrase is the opposite of the intended, and in literature it is a way to indicate a purpose or a position opposite to what is actually declared, and it is a clever linguistic game between two parties: the paradox maker and its reader, such that the maker presents his paradox in a way that provokes the reader, and invites him to reject the literal meaning in favor of the hidden meaning, which is often opposed to it, and in the meantime he makes the language collide with itself, so that the reader does not calm until he reaches the distant meaning, and this practice is closer to interpreting then to superficial reading.