Roopa Banerjee
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” When someone wants to put a positive spin on a negative outcome, we oft hear this line. It suggests a negative (lemon) and follows up with a positive (lemonade). This is a clever way of using the literary device antanagoge defined as balancing a negative with a positive.
Antanagoge is usually used in persuasive speech and fiction writing. Pointing out the positive helps balance the negative. For instance, the famous song in the cult movie Mary Poppins: ‘A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.’ Using this literary device conveys that there is a silver lining to every cloud.
Derived from the Greek antanagoge, which means to balance, it is a combination of two words: ‘anti’ i.e, against, and ‘anagoge,’ i.e, leading up.
In everyday conversations, an example of antanagoge is: “The car broke down on our road trip, but at least we were able to enjoy the scenery while we waited for the tow truck.” Here, the negative situation is the car breaking down, but the positive is the opportunity to appreciate the landscape.
In the Hollywood movie The Pursuit of Happyness, the protagonist played by Will Smith says, “You gotta dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.” The negative here is people discouraging you from achieving your dreams, but the positive is that this can provide you the motivation to pursue them.
In literature, the use of antanagoge is common. A good example is in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch teaches his children that it’s not enough to hate someone; you also have to see things from their perspective. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Here, the negative situation is hating someone, but the positive is that one can acquire understanding and empathy.
Another interesting example is in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare where Macbeth says, “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other.” Here, the negative is that Macbeth has no motivation to pursue his goals, but the positive is his ambition to succeed.
Antanagoge is also used frequently in movies and TV shows. In the movie Rocky, Rocky Balboa says, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Here, the negative is getting hit, but the positive is developing capability to keep moving forward.
Antanagoge is a powerful literary device for writers to create a sense of balance and perspective in the face of adversity. When used effectively, it also generates hope and optimism.
Exercise
Here are five books that use antanagoge. Name the authors of these books:
1. The Great Gatsby
2. The Catcher in the Rye
3. The Lord of the Rings
4. The Brothers Karamazov
5. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Authors:
1. F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. J.D. Salinger
3. J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Fyodor Dostoevsky
5. Zora Neale Hurston
