Antithesis in the Poetry of Muhammad Mahdi Al-Jawahiri: A Rhetorical Analytical Study

Abstract

This study aims to investigate one of the most prominent rhetorical embellishments (al-muḥassināt al-badīʿiyyah), namely antithesis (ṭibāq), through an analytical examination of selected poetic verses by Muhammad Mahdi Al-Jawahiri. It introduces the concept of antithesis, outlines its classifications, and explores its relationship to Al-Jawahiri’s poetic discourse. Antithesis constitutes one of the most significant rhetorical devices that enjoys a remarkable presence in Al-Jawahiri’s poetry. It is employed not merely as an ornamental linguistic feature, but as an artistic technique that deepens meaning, reinforces semantic expression, and endows the poetic text with emotional intensity and aesthetic vitality. Al-Jawahiri employs antithesis with remarkable awareness, transforming it into a powerful means of expressing his psychological and intellectual tensions, while embodying the dialectical conflicts and contradictions that characterize human existence.

The frequent use of antithesis in Al-Jawahiri’s poetry reflects his intellectual vision and life experience. His poetic consciousness was profoundly shaped by the political, social, and cultural transformations of his time, giving rise to a series of opposing binaries such as life and death, hope and despair, freedom and tyranny, and presence and absence. These antithetical pairs constitute a defining feature of his poetic discourse, enriching it with profound semantic and aesthetic dimensions. Consequently, Al-Jawahiri’s use of antithesis should not be viewed as a mere rhetorical ornament; rather, it reveals his profound awareness of the inherent conflicts that shape both human life and existence. Through this rhetorical device, he articulates his philosophical vision of reality within a poetic structure in which imagery, rhythm, and meaning interact harmoniously to produce a text distinguished by its expressive richness and evocative power.

The study adopts the descriptive-analytical approach, examining representative examples of antithesis in their various poetic contexts and analyzing their rhetorical, artistic, and semantic functions. Through this approach, the study seeks to reveal the aesthetic value of antithesis and to demonstrate its significant role in shaping Al-Jawahiri’s poetic discourse and enriching its expressive and artistic dimensions.