In 1984, however, Orwell takes this concept even further. The Importance of Aphorism A good aphorism can really stick in the mind. He erases the reality of whatever happened in the past so that no ones sees any incongruities between what the Party is doing now and what they said in the past. Even if we don't immediately buy into it, it can still deliver a wallop: 'There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper,' Camille Paglia tells us. The definition of aphorism expanded to include truths about other sciences, and then to every type of philosophical principle. Examples of Aphorism Example 1 Some philosophers, especially in the ancient world, wrote in aphorisms.
Examples of Aphorism in Pop Culture Example 1 Do, or do not; there is no try. Here, we'll look at the actual aphorism meaning, with a whole lot of examples for a better understanding of the concept. Aphorism was originally used in the world of medicine. A precept or rule expressed in few words; a detached sentence containing some important truth: as, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or of the civil law. He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive.
In just a few words, it expresses an opposition to consumerism and challenges listeners to be grateful for what they have. . See More Recent Examples on the Web The track is brimming with self-empowering aphorisms to inspire a whole year's worth of Instagram captions. Or are we being bamboozled by the phrase's conspicuous symmetry? Example 6 Havermeyer was a lead bombardier who never missed. An aphorism is basically a short statement related to a principle.
A comprehensive maxim or principle expressed in a few words; a sharply defined sentence relating to abstract truth rather than to practical matters. Example 2 All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. Unfortunately, in the case of the Montagues and Capulets, their names do indeed define and separate them. Synonyms Aphorism, Axiom, Maxim, Precept, Dictum, Apothegm, Saying, Adage, Proverb, Truism, Byword, Saw, all concur in expressing a pithy general proposition, usually in one short sentence; but the longer the form the less applicable do these names become. These authors all use aphorisms to write about universal truths. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde was noted for his usage of aphorisms, especially humorous ones.
A rose does not become sweet due to its name. I like his corollary: 'This is what distinguishes the form from , for instance, which are really worn-out aphorisms that have had the identity of the original author rubbed away through repeated use. Many modern philosophers have incorporated aphorisms into their works, such as Ludwig Wittgenstein, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Confronted by a broadminded, witty, and tolerant cosmopolitan, for whom the infinite varieties of human custom offered a source of inexhaustible fascination, Thucydides presented himself as a humorless nationalist, an intellectual given to political aphorisms and abstract generalizations. Though it can be regarded as a universal truth, it has quite an insidious effect in the novel. Romeo, doff thy name; And for that name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself. Example 2 If you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, it will spend its whole life thinking it is stupid.
A byword is a cant term or phrase, in every one's mouth like a proverb, but applied in disparagement. One famous example is: The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. In other words, even the most difficult tasks can be accomplished by starting small and working diligently. An original laconic phrase conveying some principle or concept of thought. The primary tool of many aphorisms is metaphor, or having one thing stand in for something else. This particular quote has become so popular that it appears on countless T-shirts and coffee mugs and is frequently cited even by people who are not Star Wars fans. Many of such phrases are used even today very commonly by all of us.
Each is a felicitous expression current for its own sake, but deriving additional popularity from the celebrity of its author. A statement can be so well put that its cogency is entirely dependent on its formulation, but as soon as we reflect on it we may come to another conclusion. Search aphorism and thousands of other words in English definition and synonym dictionary from Reverso. Pleasurably, for a moment, he considered the altruism of that aphorism. It contains an important truth of life. Literary writers such as Franz Kafka and Oscar Wilde are also noted for their frequent usage of aphorisms. Aphorisms can sometimes be humorous, but are not necessarily so.
So what you gain with aphorisms is staying power and general applicability. An axiom is a self-evident truth, and is therefore used as a basis for reasoning. But when a man bites a dog, that's news. What you lose sometimes is clarity and specificity. Truism A truism is an aphorism that is trite, stale, overly general, or meaningless. The best aphorisms are also applicable to all sorts of different situations, which further adds to their memorable quality.
After reading all these, you'll know exactly how to use an aphorism in a sentence. Auden gives as an instance of epigram the definition of fox hunting as 'the pursuit of the uneatable by the unspeakable. It appears I am not capable of perceiving time any differently than my internal chronometer. This aphorism seemed to merit a new cigar on Crane's part, so he lighted one. Definition of Aphorism An aphorism is a short saying that expresses a truth in a memorable way.
In this way, the Party—the group that controls the present—literally controls the past. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility! Oscar Wilde's aphorism 'one's real life is often the life one does not lead' can be understood as either cynical or idealizing; it seems to ask to be taken as both at once. Yossarian was a lead bombardier who had been demoted because he no longer gave a damn whether he missed or not. Some of them are attributable to famous people, while others are anonymous and have become cliches or proverbs. This popular aphorism is applied to all sorts of situations where one is surprised by how well something is working.