Literary term
Juxtaposition
Placing two contrasting ideas, images or characters close together for effect.
What it means
Juxtaposition places two contrasting ideas, images, characters or moments close together on purpose, so the difference between them stands out. The contrast might be between light and dark, wealth and poverty, calm and violence, or hope and despair. The reader sees the two side by side, so each sharpens the other.
The writer can suggest a theme without stating it. Juxtaposition works at the level of a single sentence. But it can also shape a whole scene, a chapter or the structure of an entire text.
Why it matters in the exam
Structure and language questions reward you for noticing how a writer arranges material. Juxtaposition is a favourite technique to comment on. Explaining what the contrast makes the reader think or feel shows the higher-order analysis examiners look for.
In your own writing, setting two opposites together is a controlled way to build meaning and interest.
Example
A writer might place a child laughing in a bright playground in one paragraph, then an empty, boarded-up house in the next. Warmth and neglect press against each other.
How to use it
Point to the two things being set against each other and name the quality that divides them. Then explain the effect of the clash: what idea does the writer want the reader to weigh up? Avoid saying only that there is contrast.
The marks lie in showing why that contrast has been engineered and what it reveals about theme or character.
Knowing the term is the first step. In a paid one-hour trial, a teacher helps your child use "Juxtaposition" accurately in an answer.