The Use of Irony in Barbara L. Greenberg's The Faithful Wife
"The Faithful Wife" by Barbara L. Greenberg is a fascinating, satirical account of what the speaker would do if she were unfaithful to her husband. Upon the first reading of this poem, I thought the woman in this poem was saying that her husband was irreplaceable and because of that she would never be unfaithful. Also I thought that if she did betray him, she would choose someone totally different from him, which somehow wouldn't dishonor this great man. However, with repeated reading, my opinion changed. Greenberg did an incredible job of revealing the truth of the situation. She used verbal irony to explain how the wife in the poem is actually revealing the relationship she does have with her husband and describing the type of relationship she would like to have.
Greenberg uses more formal diction to convey her message in "The Faithful Wife." The poem is not written in everyday language. It is missing the colloquial elements of contractions and slang. While it seems to be a conversation anyone could have, it is no...
The start of Robert Walton and the monster’s final conversation, this paragraph near the end of Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein uncovers the untold perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s creation. Revealing to Robert that Frankenstein’s misery was not the only casualty of the novel, Shelly’s utilization of the monster’s pain illustrates mankind’s hatred and abandonment of the artificial being. Moreover, directing spiteful words towards Victor Frankenstein, Felix De Lacey, and even himself, the monster’s narration reflects the being’s unresolved emotions that have emerged because of society’s cruelty. Although science fiction, the narrative of Frankenstein’s monster exemplifies the literary reproduction of England’s monarchy deserting its own
In 1983, author Margaret Atwood published the short story Happy Ending. It is written in third person swapping from limited to omniscient, though ultimately being told directly toward the reader finishing off with second person and sentences talking directly to the reader mixed in along the way. The story consists of letters going from A to F, with every letter telling of some scenario that takes place involving the only five characters: John, Mary, Madge, James and Fred. Story A holds the typical boy meets girl, falls in love, marry and live happily ever after until death. With this familiar story, it is granted the title Happy Ending and becomes the symbol that the rest of the story will build off of.
As I read Flannery O’Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, I find myself being completely consumed by the rich tale that the author weaves; a tragic and ironic tale that concisely and precisely utilizes irony and foreshadowing with expert skill. As the story progresses, it is readily apparent that the story will end in a tragic and predictable state due to the devices which O’Connor expertly employs and thusly, I find that I cannot stop reading it; the plot grows thicker with every sentence and by doing so, the characters within the story are infinitely real in my mind’s eye. As I consider these factors, the story focuses on two main characters; that of the grandmother, who comes across as self-centered and self-serving and The Misfit, a man, who quite ingeniously, also appears to be self-centered and self-serving. It is the story behind the grandmother, however, that evidence appears to demonstrate the extreme differences between her superficial self and the true character of her persona; as the story unfolds, and proof of my thought process becomes apparently clear.
?Espionage.? 2000-2004. The War to End All Wars. Michael Duffy. Original Material. Primary Documents Online.
As the story begins, the narrator's compliance with her role as a submissive woman is easily seen. She states, "John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 577). These words clearly illustrate the male's position of power in a marriage that is not only accepted, but rather expected at this time period.... ... middle of paper ...
As the story begins, the character of the husband has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, is narrow-minded, and is jealous of his wife’s friendship with a blind man named Robert. His constantly complains that “a blind man in my house was not something [he looked] forward to” (362). The close outside friendship between the narrator’s wife and Robert provokes his insecurities. This friendship has lasted for ten years and during those years, they have exchanged countless tapes regarding experiences they have gone through. Because of this, her husband feels “she [has] told him everything or it so it seemed” (363) about their relationship.
... history of the Japanese Islands. The texts where compiled during the 8th Century and are not directly related to shinto doctrine. They are, nevertheless, a collection of mythological narratives and historical chronicles that informe about the cultural traditions of early Japan.
Immediately, the narrator stereotypes the couple by saying “they looked unmistakably married” (1). The couple symbolizes a relationship. Because marriage is the deepest human relationship, Brush chose a married couple to underscore her message and strengthen the story. The husband’s words weaken their relationship. When the man rejects his wife’s gift with “punishing…quick, curt, and unkind” (19) words, he is being selfish. Selfishness is a matter of taking, just as love is a matter of giving. He has taken her emotional energy, and she is left “crying quietly and heartbrokenly” (21). Using unkind words, the husband drains his wife of emotional strength and damages their relationship.
The main character tells us that she has a nice family that consists of her husband John and a little baby, but John does unusual things that someone would not expect in a normal marriage. She says, “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.” (Gilman 647). Men back then did not treat or think highly of women due to men being more superior than them. John also seems to complain
Irony in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is full of irony. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, the protagonists in the play, get themselves into a complicated situation called Bunburyism (as Algernon refers to it). They pretend to be someone that they are not to escape their daily lives. They lie to the women they admire, and eventually the truth is revealed.
Irony is a useful device for giving stories many unexpected twists and turns. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," irony is used as an effective literary device. Situational irony is used to show the reader that what is expected to happen sometimes doesn't. Dramatic irony is used to clue the reader in on something that is happening that the characters in the story do not know about. Irony is used throughout Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" through the use of situational irony and the use of dramatic irony.
Chivalry, or the code of conduct that the Knights of out past used to justify their actions, towards country and state. It is greatly expressed in the stories that were passed down orally and written down, but these traits were many, including: Courage, Honor, and the treatment of women. These three traits are discussed wholly throughout the tales of King Arthur’s day, because like the Anglo-Saxon Code it was the basis of how a man should act throughout his life. Knights held by this code throughout their lives and were told in the stories hence, with these lines Sir Gawain did prove himself of his knightly hood, “Gawain by Guenevere Toward the king doth now incline: ‘I beseech, before all here, That this melee may be mine.” (Page 174 Lines 113-116). Knightly hood became the populous’ view of how a man should act in any situation that bequeathed him, which is still in use today, just not in the same context. Death is not a punishment for those people who don’t follow through the code. Overall Chivalry is the concept that every young man should live by, for even though it was thought up millenniums ago, it has just the same relevancy of the laws and codes that people today live by.
Shinto is a native religion of Japan and the people of Japan. It is defined as an action centered religion, focused on ceremonial practices to be carried out thoroughly, to establish a assembly between present-day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and organized in the written historical records of the Jokiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century (Nelson 7-8). Still, these early Japanese writings do not refer to a joined “Shinto religion”, but rather to a gathering of native beliefs and mythology.
The word chivalry comes from the French term “chevalrie” which when literally described meant the warrior attributes of armed knights on horseback. When the word was first used it did not have many, if any, of the moral or social aspects with which were later attributed to it. Reaching the later periods of the Middle Ages there begins to be a consensus opinion on the definition of a chivalrous knight. This knight would be polite, especially to women, loyal to his lord, a devout and humble Christian, and a powerful and strong-willed fighter. While no man could live up to these expectations, an ideal chivalrous knight would demonstrate all of these qualities. Chivalry would begin to fade in the 15th century following the unrealistic disposition of courtly love. From the beginning of the Crusades to this point however, chivalry was not only an important part of the cultural world of the upper classes it would come to define it. Indeed, many of the major parts of life in the Middle Ages including warfare, religion, ceremonies and romance were significantly affected by chivalry. These key aspects of life which chivalry impacted would define the cultural world of the upper classes throughout Europe.
Historically, women have been seen as the weaker person in the bond of marriage. Throughout the story, the narrator is degraded in various ways due to the ramifications of engaging in this institutional practice. First, she mentions many instances where John has been erroneous, insensitive, or abusive, but is unable to vocalize any disconnect for fear of repercussions. “He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures” (271). The narrator feels as if John is a hindrance to her being beca...