Source: Paradoxes, James Guppy, Flickr Paradox is a type of figurative language that A Handbook to Literature defines as "a statement that while seemingly contradictory or absurd may actually be well-founded or true." You will find paradox in both the poetry and the prose you read. In identifying it, you should look for apparently contradictory terms or incompatible elements and figure out its purpose. L.11-12.5a Figures of Speech