Ambiguous Contradictions

            Chapters O, P, and Q deal with contradictory statements that generate doubt and reflection in the reader. Shields tries to transmit the message that not every idea we have is as clear as it appears to be. Even the idea we have of reality is paradoxical. What is reality for me is not necessarily the absolute truth; it is only my version of the story. However, there needs to be a reality; therefore, everyone tries to create reality. One of the most important antithetical statements in these chapters is the one that states, “Something can be true and untrue at the same time” (p.  135). At first, I compared this to saying that something can be black and white at the same time since both are opposites. Nevertheless, as I reflected further upon this matter, I realized that what Shields was trying to say was that reality is not absolute and that it is only real for the person who created it.

            Also, I found it interesting to interpret the idea that is pointed out when Shields states, “We’re only certain (“certain only”?) about what we don’t understand” (p. 138). I completely agree with this antithetical statement because the only thing that people can assure is what they do not know. In other words, people can be sure they do not know something, but they cannot be certain that they understand another thing. Finally, another statement that captured my attention was the following: “Great art is clear thinking about mixed feelings” (p. 136). A great artist is not the one that simply restates what has already been said, it is the one that gathers mixed feelings or ideas and is able to organize them in a way that becomes clear for the audience. According to this statement, not everyone can be an artist, at least not a good one.