Situational Irony In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the characters all turn out to have what they have been searching for all along (the lion was brave, the scarecrow could think, the tin man could feel, and Dorothy could have returned home at any time. The author, L Frank Baum, uses this irony thematically, with the message being that sometimes what we are looking for in life is right in front of us. Baum’s use of irony expresses his idea quite nicely. The irony, while obvious to the reader, is unbeknownst to the characters, so with the conclusion of the story, readers look for parallels in their own lives, aspirations that are fulfilled but not realized. Success Verbal irony John had been wanting to play soccer all week, but it had rained every day. When he awoke on Saturday to the sound of rain he said “Oh yes, another …show more content…
beautiful day.” John is ironically expressing his dislike of this situation.
He does not really think the day is beautiful, since it does not suit his wants. John successfully uses irony because this line expresses his dislike, as well as his acceptance. He is not getting what he wants, as the weather does what it does. It is consistent, so he insinuates that he might as well just accept the weather as it is. Success Situational Irony In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry discovers that in order to defeat Voldemort, as Harry is expected to, he must die. The purpose of this irony is to shock the reader, since ironic things are by definition unexpected, it works well as a twist in the story. J.K. Rowling successfully uses irony in this case. The reality that Harry must die is shocking to the reader, which also makes it more believable when Harry does die. It successfully makes this story quite emotional. Success Verbal Irony In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry is asked why he is yet again listening to the news. He replies that he does so because the news changes every day, angering his uncle. (As you can see I have been
re-reading). Rowling does this in order for the reader to develop sympathy with Harry. He is so restricted by his aunt and uncle that he likes to listen to the news, and they dislike this. Though this is taken as sarcastic, Harry is just explaining. This is pretty effective. Harry does not seem snarky, though his aunt and uncle think otherwise. When he is punished for this humorous, though true, statement, the reader feels bad for Harry and despise his guardians even more. Success Situational Irony In The Gift of The Magi, Della buys Jim a chain for his watch by cutting her hair, while Jim buys Della combs for her hair by selling his watch, rendering both gifts unusable. The author uses this irony to express how those that love each other are willing to sacrifice for each other. It is ironic that neither gifts function, yet they are happy because they know that they love each other. This irony highlights the theme of how love means sacrifice in a humorous (or frustrating) way, which makes it really relatable. Though this circumstance might be frustrating in life, the reactions of Della and Jim to this unexpected situation emphasize the theme. Success
For example, in the beginning of the story, Pete, Jesse’s cousin, was talking about marine life and how he rescued a beached dolphin, but Jesse hated Pete talking about dolphins. He “...tried to block out his cousin’s voice...” (Pg. 19) Later in the story, Pete’s lecture came in handy when Jesse rescued the beached dolphin. Another instance of irony is, that Jesse hated pep talks from people, but then was giving the dolphin pep talk in the end. He told the dolphin, “Bud, you’ve got to save yourself… Nobody going to do it for you. If you give up, you’re finished...” (Pg. 23) This pep talk he gave the dolphin made him realize he needs to do the same. Most ironic things happen when you least expect
Like salt and pepper to beef, irony adds “flavor” to some of the greatest works of literature. No matter if readers look at old pieces of work like Romeo and Juliet or more modern novels like To Kill a Mockingbird, irony’s presence serve as the soul fuel that pushes stories forward. By definition, irony occurs when writers of books, plays, or movies destine for one event or choice to occur when the audiences expects the opposite; like Tom Robinson being found guilty after all evidences point other ways in To Kill a Mockingbird. These unique plot twists add mystery and enjoyability to hundreds of books. From the very beginning of The Chosen, a novel written by Chaim Potok, to the very end, irony’s presences does not leave the reader at any
“The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.” -Robert A. Heinlein. In the short story, “The Possibility of Evil”, the author Shirley Jackson uses irony to develop the traits of the protagonist, Miss Strangeworth, in her small hometown. Throughout the story, there are many examples of irony as Miss Strangeworth goes through her normal day. Irony is an engaging literary device used by authors to expose underlying intentions which become critical to the development of the plot.
What is the irony of this? Irony is a form of speech in which the intended meaning is actually the opposite of what is expressed by the words the author uses. This technique is used to ridicule or mock a particular subject by expressing laudatory remarks, but implying contempt and denigration. There are several examples of irony in the novel _All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_ by Erich Maria Remarque, a realistic, yet fabricated account of a soldier's experience in an international war. The lighthearted irony quickly transitions into dark satire with the use of dramatic irony, the setting, and situational irony to mock the glorification of war and introduce reality.
In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, irony is often used to convey information and contribute to the overall theme of the novel. Many parts of the book contain this irony because it works well for fueling either the main antagonist or protagonist actions. Fahrenheit 451 is a book based on the ideals of a “utopian society” where books are illegal and burned if they’re found. Firemen are ordered to burn books and all houses that contain them, versus putting out fires and protecting people. In communities people don’t think, they cannot be ‘intellectuals’, and they are forced become drones of the government’s ideals. In the novel Farenheit 451 irony is used to express the complex ideas of the society, but also gives the book more understanding and meaning by making us think differently, how characters are ironically told not to.
Dramatic irony is used through Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s return. His death had brought her such great sorrow but upon his return she died. Her death then created sorrier bringing in the irony of the beginning of the story where it was said that Mrs. Mallard’s heart was bad and she was tried not to be stressed.
There are so many examples of situational irony that is clear throughout these stories Mr. Mallard being dead, Mama finally realizes that Maggie deserves the quilts because she understands her heritage better than Dee, Mathilde finding out she worked her whole life for nothing, and when Mr. Graves tells Tessie that Eva draws with her husband's family, Tessie is angry. Dramatic irony is everywhere as well. Louise dies from the shock of seeing her husband who is supposed to be dead and when Dee never wanted anything to do with her heritage until somebody was impressed by it.
...hese characters we better and more pure, bad things would might have not happened to them like they did. In this situation, cosmic irony is used to show how someone’s fate can be decided by the life decisions they make. It was only destiny that brought the Misfit and the family together.
In order to portray the theme of with desire comes suffering, Ray Bradbury uses irony. The Hadley family lives in a recently purchased mansion called the “Happylife Home.” This is an example of Bradbury incorporating irony into his short story. The “Happylife Home” was supposed to create the perfect, happy lifestyle for the the Hadleys, but this is clearly not t...
Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. This rhetorical device is often used many times in literature and a very significant device. One example of irony occurs at the end. In the final chapter, was setting the jungle into fire, in order to smoke Ralph out. The fire, at the beginning of the book, was used for two things: it enabled the kids from signal a ship for a rescue, it helped cook meat, and it helped them keep warm.
Irony is something that seems to directly contradict a precedent set before it, and is seen everywhere in the world, often having dismal consequences, but it also serves to point out that there is something wrong with the current state of affairs. Briony Tallis, a character from Ian McEwan’s Atonement, is also a victim of this type of irony, as her undeveloped system of justice results in a great injustice; however, this injustice serves to improve her understanding of justice as she realizes her wrongdoings and attempts to atone for them meanwhile her life is used by McEwan to send parables to his audience that prove to enrich his novel. The exposition of Briony as a smart, but naive little girl influences her poor judgement, and helps relay
Irony is very strong and evident throughout the story. Since Babbitt is the ultimate conformist, he must uphold on his own beliefs and values even though they are shallow and transparent. He spends his life trying to relate to the “s...
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.
Everyone knows the story of Snow White. Everyone knows about the old woman who came to Snow White’s house was actually the queen in disguise, and that the apple the queen gave Snow White was poisoned. But Snow White didn’t. This is a perfect example of irony in a story. Ironic situations like this occur a lot in our daily lives, and many stories, like the short story Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl. Throughout the story, Dahl demonstrates many moments of irony, which have a long term effect on the whole story. Dahl’s uses dramatic irony effectively to help enhance the plot and help the reader understand the story better.
The title of the story represents irony when the true essence of the title is completely different from what the reader might think it to be.