Which figure of speech is used in this text?
His guardians were extremely old-fashioned people and did not realize that we live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities.
—Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
A: euphemism
B: paradox
The text uses a paradox, a statement that might at first appear to be contradictory, but that may in fact contain some truth.
We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities at first appears to be contradictory, as a necessity is something that is necessary. However, it contains some truth: when we have everything necessary for survival, we begin to feel we "need" frivolous or superfluous material goods.