Paradox+-+Jerry


 * [|paradox]** is a key to express [|tension] and thus become a central device to convey its meaning. As the word “paradox” of its Greek origin literally means “beyond-belief,” an element of paradox in poetry functions to give focus on the meaning of a word or a situation beyond what it first appears to be. This characteristic serves to create a new meaning in place of conventional set of words. It further serves to give value to a poem as a whole.

It occurs in the final part of "The Flea" by John Donne. Though the flea was the medium used for the interaction between the man and the woman, it is dead. Nevertheless, man and woman are still alive with neither of them even slightly affected.