Aphorismus

Definition of aphorism
Aphorism is borrowed from a Greek word that means "sign off", "banishment" or "rejection". It is a phrase that challenges the meaning of words in case the words are used inappropriately. Aphorism often appears as a rhetorical question used to create a difference between the situation currently being discussed and the general idea of the subject. Aphorism examples can be found in both casual conversations and literary plays.

Difference between aphorism and aphorism
Aphorism should not be confused with “aphorism”, since aphorism questions the meaning of words by responding to a question like

“I'm Pozzo! (Silence!) Pozzo! (Silence) Does that name mean nothing to you? (Remain silent. ) I mean, does that name mean nothing to you? ”

(Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett).

However, the aphorism is a totally different way of speaking, which is a short statement that contains a personal truth, or a phrase that conveys a principle. In these lines, Francis Bacon has said:

“Praise is the reflection of virtue, but it is the mirror or the reflecting body that gives the reflection. "

(Of Praise, by Francis Bacon) .

Examples of Aphorism in Literature
Example # 1: Broken Love (By William Blake)
“He smells your footsteps in the snow
Wherever you go,
After hail and winter rain
When will you come back again?

,
And with jealousy and fear
Do you fill my pleasant nights with tears?

'O'er my sins you sit and groan:
Have you no sins of your own?
For my sins, sit back and cry,
And deeply numb your own sins. ”

Blake uses different lines that appear as rhetorical questions at the end of each stanza. Here, the speaker expresses his feelings to his lover, who ultimately repudiates hers. Therefore, he asks questions such as: "Isn't she the cause of her mourning?" This calls into question the meaning of the ideas or words.

Example # 2: A dream (By Edgar Allan Poe)
“Ah! What is not a dream of day
For the one whose eyes are casting
On the things that surround him with lightning
Back to the past

That sacred dream, that sacred dream,
While everyone rebuked,
I was glad like a charming ray
A lonely spirit leading
What? What if that light, through the storm and the night, was trembling from afar?
What could be more purely bright
in The day of truth star?

Poe also uses aphorismus in this poem. At the end of the first and third stanzas, there is a rhetorical question about the meaning of the ideas discussed before these lines, and the two questions are shown in bold

Example # 3: Paradise Lost (By John Milton)
“If such amazement it can seize the eternal spirits; Or have you chosen this place
After Battel's toy to rest
Your tired vertigo, because of the ease you find
Sleep here, as in the Valleys of Heaven? difference between the current situation, "Sleeping here, as in the valleys of heaven", and the general idea of ​​the subject, questioning its meaning. It helps to emphasize the meaning.

Example # 4: Richard II (By William Shakespeare)
"Because you have confused me all this time.
I live with bread like you, I feel need,
I like pain, I need friends: submitted like this,
How can you tell me that I am a king?"

This is one of the perfect examples of aphorism. The speaker explains his standard of living, then raises a question about how he can be called a king because he lives like an ordinary man. The comparison is made between the two situations challenging the meaning of the phrase "I am a king.

Function of the aphorism
The role of the aphorism is to emphasize the meaning of a sentence or phrase by challenging or asking questions. It questions the underlying meanings of words and phrases as the meaning of words can have a variety of connotations that can add to the expansion.Therefore, the role of aphorism in literary texts is important in challenging meanings by putting one of its forms in Question is asked. It also makes a sentence unforgettable and arouses emotions by raising questions.

Aphorism Aporia