Quotes from Arthur Rimbauds Surrealist Writing

Quotes from Arthur Rimbaud's Surrealist Writing Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (1854 -1891) was a French writer and poet, best known for his surrealist writings, including Le Bateau Ivre (), Soleil et Chair (Sun and Flesh) and Saison dEnfer (Season in Hell). He published his first poem at the age of 16, but stopped writing altogether by the age of 21. Rimbauds writings contain references to the bohemian lifestyle he led when he lived in Paris, including his scandalous affair with the married poet Paul Verlaine. After several years of on-again, off-again, their relationship ended with Verlaine in jail for shooting Rimbaud in the wrist. It seems Rimbaud earned the nickname lenfant terrible which was bestowed on him by Paris society. Despite the turmoil and drama of his personal life, Rimbaud continued to write insightful, visionary poems that belied his young age during his time in Paris. After he abruptly ended his career as a poet, for reasons which are still unclear, Rimbaud traveled the world, traveling to England,  Germany and Italy, then enlisted in and deserted the Dutch army. His travels took him to Vienna, then to Egypt and Cyprus, Ethiopia and Yemen, becoming one of the first Europeans to visit that country. Verlaine edited and published Rimbauds Poesies completes after Rimbauds death from cancer. Although he only wrote for a brief period, Rimbaud has been a significant influence on French modern literature and art, as he strove through his writing to create an entirely new kind of creative language. Here are a few quotes from the translated work of Arthur Rimbaud: And again: No more gods! No more gods! Man is King, Man is God! - But the great Faith is Love! - Soleil et Chair (1870) But, truly, I have wept too much! The Dawns are heartbreaking. Every moon is atrocious and every sun bitter. - Le Bateau Ivre (1871) I am the slave of my baptism. Parents, you have caused my misfortune, and you have caused your own. - Saison dEnfer, Nuit de lEnfer (1874) Idle youth, enslaved to everything; by being too sensitive I have wasted my life. - Song of the Highest Tower (1872) Life is the farce which everyone has to perform. - Saison en Enfer, Mauvais Sang One evening I sat Beauty on my knees - And I found her bitter - And I reviled her. - Saison en Enfer, prologue. Only divine love bestows the keys of knowledge. - Une Saison en Enfer, Mauvais Sang The Sun, the hearth of affection and life, pours burning love on the delighted earth. - Soleil et Chair What a life! True life is elsewhere. We are not in the world. - Une Saison en Enfer: Nuit de L’Enfer

100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons

100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons An oxymoron  is a figure of speech, usually one or two words in which  seemingly  contradictory terms appear side by side. This contradiction is also known as a  paradox. Writers and poets have used it for centuries as a literary device to describe lifes inherent conflicts and incongruities. In speech, oxymorons can lend a sense of humor, irony, or sarcasm. Using Oxymorons The word oxymoron is itself oxymoronic, which is to say contradictory. The word is derived from two ancient Greek words oxys, which means sharp, and moronos, which means dull or stupid. Take this sentence, for example: This was a minor crisis and the only choice was to drop the product line. There are two oxymorons in this sentence: minor crisis and only choice. If youre learning English as a second language, you might be confused by these figures of speech. Read literally, they contradict themselves.  A crisis is defined as a time of serious difficulty or importance. By that measure, no crisis is unimportant or minor. Similarly, choice implies more than one option, which is contradicted by only, which implies the opposite. But once you become fluent in English, its easy to recognize such oxymorons for the figures of speech that they are. As the textbook author Richard Watson Todd said, The true beauty of oxymorons is that, unless we sit back and really think, we happily accept them as normal  English. Oxymorons have been used since the days of the ancient Greek poets, and William Shakespeare sprinkled them throughout his plays, poems, and sonnets. Oxymorons also feature in modern comedy and politics. The conservative political writer William Buckley, for instance, became famous for quotes like an intelligent liberal is an oxymoron. 100 Examples of Oxymorons Like other kinds of figurative language, oxymorons (or oxymora) are often found in literature. As shown by this list of 100 awfully good examples, oxymorons are also part of our everyday speech. Youll find common figures of speech, plus references to works of classic and pop culture. absent presence (from Astrophil and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney)alone togetherawful goodbeggarly riches (from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions by John Donne)bittersweetbrisk vacancy (from Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror by John Ashbery)cheerful pessimistcivil warclearly misunderstoodcomfortable misery (from One Door Away From Heaven by Dean Koontz)conspicuous absencecool passioncrash landingcruel kindnessdarkness visible (from Paradise Lost by John Milton)deafening silencedeceptively honestdefinite maybedeliberate speeddevout atheistdull roareloquent silenceeven oddsexact estimateextinct lifefalsely true (from Lancelot and Elaine by Lord Tennyson)festive tranquilityfound missingfreezer burnfriendly takeovergenuine imitationgood griefgrowing smallerguest hosthistorical presenthumane slaughtericy hotidiot savantill healthimpossible solutionintense apathyjoyful sadnessjumbo shrimplarger halflascivious grace (from Sonnet 40 by William Shakespeare)lead balloonliquid marble (from Poetast er by Ben Jonson) living deadliving endliving sacrificesloosely sealedloud whisperloyal oppositionmagic realismmelancholy merriment (from Don Juan by Lord Byron)militant pacifistminor miraclenegative growthnegative incomeold newsone-man bandonly choiceopenly deceptiveopen secretoriginal copyoverbearingly modestpaper tableclothpaper towelpeaceful conquestplastic glassesplastic silverwarepoor healthpretty uglyproperly ridiculousrandom orderrecorded liveresident aliensad smilesame differencescalding coolness (from For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway)seriously funnyshrewd dumbnesssilent screamsmall crowdsoft rockThe Sound of Silence (song by Paul Simon)static flowsteel woolstudent teachersweet sorrow (from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)terribly goodtheoretical experiencetransparent night (from When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d by Walt Whitman)true fictionTrue Lies (movie directed by James Cameron)unbiased opinionunconscious awarenessupward fallwise foolworking vacation 1:15 5 Common Figures of Speech Explained