Pairs of contradictory words introduce learners to paradoxes, the literary device writers use to get readers thinking deeply about their messages. An interactive lesson uses poems by Emily Dickinson and Wilfred Owen and excerpts from the writings of Emerson and Thoreau to demonstrate the power of using paradoxes and oxymorons in writing.

Concepts

close reading, reading comprehension, reading comprehension strategies, paradoxes, figurative language, literary devices, oxymoron

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Instructional Ideas

• Check for understanding by using Shelley's poem "Ozymandias," Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess,"  and Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum est."
• Have learners keep all notes and materials in their notebooks for future reference

Classroom Considerations

• Second of 13 interactives in the series designed for high school juniors
• Users require access to devices with internet

Pros

• "Checks for Understanding" permit users to self-check their progress
• When users click the correct words in the exercises, the words highlight

Cons

• None