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Use of irony in Shakespeare tragedy
Use of irony in Shakespeare tragedy
Use of irony in heart of darkness
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Contemplating on characteristics of Post Modernism Irony is the most compelling alternative. In Tobias Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain”, the rich amount of sarcasm and irony invites readers on a journey that’s exceptionally written. The dialect that is used in this short story does not have any moderation to what is being portrayed as a real life event. Just reading the title alone “Bullet in the Brain”, causes one to imagine a horrific event with the conclusion of someone being gunned down unfairly. To already know the ending of a story just by reading the title, one has to be very crafty in their presentation. As a result, the main characters actions have led to a consequence which sets up the theme of the story to be classified as: a tragic irony. Tobias Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain” exemplifies irony and applies sarcasm in a literary form.
In the opening paragraph of “Bullet in the Brain” the character Anders is introduced in a crowed bank. The reason that the bank is crowed is because Anders has arrived just before closing time. This character is being established as a witty book critic with a temper. The very first signs of verbal irony are interjected very quickly after the bank teller closes her line with the bank being overcrowded with customers. Granted, no one wants to be put in this situation, and the result is that the customers become frustrated. Tobias Wolff first illustration of ironic dialect is the voice of disgruntled customers complaining about the customer service. One of the women in the bank turns to Anders and says, “One of those little human touches that keep us coming back for more”. (Wolff 1) Anders absolutely thinks that it’s very annoying to treat customers in this manner, but he conceals his origi...
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...g life in a habitual manner. In order to make life somewhat interesting for Anders, he begins to state the obvious on a recurring basis. Anders believes that by being sarcastic it will display to others that we are all copycats and we should strive to be more creative. The truth of the matter is that we are all different; each one of us brings something unique to this world. For some individuals it takes a considerable amount of time to find out that we are all one of a kind; for others they never come to this conclusion. Optimistically, after reading this story one will realize that the need to stand out and not be a part of the masses is certainly the key to serenity.
Works Cited
Wolff, Tobias. “Bullet in the Brain.” The Night in Question: Stories. New York: Vintage, 1997. https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/LiteratureandMedicineInitiative/20080304/bullet.pdf
In addition to symbolism, Walls also applies irony to her memoir. One example of irony found in almost every chapter, is when the Walls children are forced to take on traditional adult roles. When Jeannette’s father arrives home one night with a bloody gash on his right arm, Jeannette becomes a temporary nurse and sews “...two dark, slightly sloppy stitches…” in her father’s arm to stop the bleeding (Walls 170). Rex encourages his daughter to forgo the fact that she is a child and complete the job a trained professional would normally do. Therefore, Jeannette’s persistence to help in times of need shone through her fear of the situation. Another example of irony in The Glass Castle is when the children, specifically Jeannette and Brian, dig
“Irony trumps everything”. Thomas C. Foster made this argument in “How to Read Literature like a Professor”, explaining that when an author uses irony in their literary work, standard conventions on interpreting themes are temporarily disregarded (Foster 252). This effect on the reader allows for a different interpretation of the text to occur because the novel's events are contradictory to what one expects. The proficient use of irony in the novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood to show the inner desires of Offred, Serena Joy, and the Commander.
Kurt Vonnegut, a modern American writer, composed stories about fictional situations that occurred in futuristic versions of today’s world. His stories included violence, both upon oneself and one another, and characters who sought out revenge. In “2BR02B” and “Harrison Bergeron”, Vonnegut conveys physical violence most likely experienced while a prisoner of World War 2, as a way to show how war brings pain and destruction.
Revenge is the opportunity to retaliate or gain satisfaction for a real or perceived slight ("revenge"). In “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor, the narrator, is out for revenge. Montressor seeks revenge against Fortunato and thinks he has developed the perfect plan for “revenge with impunity” (Baym). Montresor never tells the reader why he feels Fortunato deserves punishment. He only says that Fortunato causes him “a thousand injuries”until “[venturing] upon insult” (Baym ?). As a result, Montresor plans to bury Fortunato alive.
Festa, Conrad. “Vonnegut’s Satire.” Vonnegut in America: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Kurt Vonnegut. Vol. 5. 1977. 133-50. The GaleGroup. Web. 10 March. 2014.
First off, verbal irony is a figure of speech where the character says the opposite of what they mean. Some examples from the movie Labyrinth are; “How do you like my Labyrinth?” “Piece of cake.” Sarah thinks the labyrinth is not fair and difficult, When Hoggle said, “I couldn't hurt the girl,” even though he offers her the peach anyway. Hoggle as a matter of fact doesn't want to hurt Sarah, but he still has to follow Jareth’s orders, and when Hoggle said, “I don't want friends,” when he actually
In Harrison Bergeron, the irony author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. uses is very apparent. Irony is a literary technique in which the opposite of what is meant is said or done, usually to a humorous effect. There are three types of irony used in this story; verbal, situational and dramatic. The most humorous use of verbal irony is when the narrator says “Hazel had a perfectly normal intelligence”. This is ironic because Hazel only has a twenty second memory, which is not that
...octor is an obstetrician but cannot save the life of the child. In the three central texts discussed heretofore it has become evident to the reader that irony is used to aid in the representation of an unfortunate event. The study of more short stories could come to show how irony can be used to demonstrate many events that end with different outcomes, whether they are positive or negative as in this case.
"[W]hen thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" counsels the Bible, thus setting the precedent for all well-meaning members of western society concerning their charitable intentions (Matt. 6.3). Humanity's motivation to aid others, regardless of the outcome, is oft times spotted by the subtle struggle between selflessness and selfishness. Flannery O'Connor captures this classic conflict between good and evil in Southern Grotesque fashion through her characters, the protagonist Sheppard and his foil, Rufus Johnson, in [comment2] "The Lame Shall Enter First".[comment3] Challenging the literal paradigm of light and darkness, O'Connor weaves together well crafted characterization, cryptic dialogue, and both biblical and literary allusion in this paradoxical plot and, by way of Sheppard and the antithetical Rufus, blends the black and white of Christian dogma into an ironic grey.
Edelstein, Arnold. “Billy’s Time Travel in not Science Fictional but Psychological.” Social Issues in Literature: War in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-five, edited by Claudia durst Johnson, Gale Cengage Learning, 2011, pp.59-66.
A man begins to cry. Not because of sorrow or joy, but because he’s terrified. The man who once enjoyed viewing the firework show that symbolized the freedom of his nation now cowers, because of the hardships he endured to maintain the freedom of his nation. Like many war veterans, the man suffers from PTSD. Billy Pilgrim, a WWII veteran, also suffers from PTSD. While Kurt Vonnegut wrote his novel Slaughterhouse-five before PTSD became an official diagnosis, the protagonist of his story, Billy Pilgrim, displays the disease’s symptoms. Vonnegut uses Billy Pilgrim’s non-linear voyage through time as symbol to reflect his theme of the destructiveness during and after war.
Have you ever read the story of a princess kissing a frog, having it turn into a prince? Well, what if it didn’t become a prince, but she turned into a frog herself! This is called irony, something we would not expect to happen. In the story of the princess we would not expect that to happen. In the story “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson, we see this situation in another form. She uses irony to bring out the point in her story. “The Lottery,” offers an “ironic twist of fate” that causes wonder and makes one sympathize with the characters.
Earnest Hemmingway once said "Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime." (Ernest Hemingway: A Literary Reference) War is a gruesome and tragic thing and affects people differently. Both Vonnegut and Hemmingway discus this idea in their novels A Farewell to Arms and Slaughterhouse Five. Both of the novels deal not only with war stories but other genres, be it a science fiction story in Vonnegut’s case or a love story in Hemingway’s. Despite all the similarities there are also very big differences in the depiction of war and the way the two characters cope with their shocking and different experiences. It is the way someone deals with these tragedies that is the true story. This essay will evaluate how the main characters in both novels deal with their experiences in different ways.
the speaker's meaning is far from the usual meaning. For example, Sally rushes all. morning to get to the parking lot early, only to find her space taken, she then exclaims,"This is exactly why I rushed, just so I can hunt for an empty space. " We understand that she is not happy, and that her meaning is not literal. A form of verbal irony is sarcasm, this is when the statement made is ironic, but it is bitter, coarse, and vulgar.
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness” (Howl, Allen Ginsberg). Why is madness an important theme in post-war U.S. writing? Your answer should demonstrate thorough knowledge of at least two texts studied on this module.