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Irony

Irony


Irony is when an author tells the audience something while he means something completely different. Irony means the opposite of what is expected to be said. For example I could say "Wow it's a beautiful day outside" when it's actually raining outside. It would be ironic for me to say such a thing because its not sunny outside nor is it warm. Instead it's wet and cold. Irony can be used everyday without even noticing. For example this morning I said to my brother "O wow looking fabulous" and he gave me a face of what the heck was I talking about since he just woke up. He actually looked horrible with his puffy hair up untamed and bags under his eyes. I use irony almost everyday, I am a very ironic person.

Ironic could be seen in English literature take for example the poem "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson. It stanza one it say "Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim."

Robinson use figurative speech to create Richard Cory as a rich, handsome, young man, who looks like a prince in his silk like clothes. Cory makes people heads turn as he walks along them like he was a regular person.

In stanza two and three it says "And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich--yes, richer than a king--
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place."

In these stanzas it talks about how Cory walks down the street with such genital grace as he stops to greet the regular people of the town with words that make him seem so human. The point of view of this poem third person and its narrative by the town people who envy Richard who has looks, charms, manners, and education. They wish to be in his place.

In the last stanza it says "So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head."

The town people work hard for the daily bread that feed them. The meat they wish they had instead of the bread they ate. They had every little yet Richard who had everything killed himself. Its ironic how the town people who worked hard each day to stay alive and eat the same bread day in and day out. Wasn't their life nightmare? Having to go home to the same things each day. The tone of this poem felt was envy and pity because Cory killed himself. It created pity because it goes to show not everything is what it seems to be.

In the short story "The Necklace" BY GUY de MAUPASSANT is about a beautiful woman name Mathilde who is wed of to a little clerk of ministry of education. Mathilde longs for luxury and the finer things in life. She characterize as a greedy, selfish and inconsiderate person who takes what her husband gives her for granted. When her husband was invited to an grand ball Mathilde rejected the affair by not wanting to go. She thinks the simple dresses aren't good enough for the event. Her husband try to encourage he to go by telling her she looks beautiful in her simple dress but she rejects by saying she does have the necessary clothes for the affair. Her husband's offer to buy her a dress and Mathilde tells her husband an larger sum of money need to buy a new dress and he agrees. He spends the money he saved on her dress. Later Mathilde isn't pleased by the dress and thinks about the jewels and rejects to go until her husband tells her about her dear friend. Mathilde ends up borrowing a beautiful necklace that she loses. Her husband has to replace the lost necklace as he ends up firing the all the servants as Mathilde ends up doing all the house work as the pay the debt of the new necklace they need to get. It's ironic how in the beginning Mathilde wanted the better things in life since she well taken care of her husband until she ended up with her beauty long gone and poor.

Even in real life irony is seen take for example the White House. The White House was built by colored people both slaves and free blacks. It also was well kept by slaves and colored people. The ironic thing was blacks built the house but they were excluded from visiting it or attending a meeting in it. People thought it was a taboo to allow a colored person in the White House. Now the Obamas live in the White House. It's ironic how they were discriminated against blacks from entering the White House when it was build and well kept by slaves and colored people and now a black family lives there.

Irony could also be seen in cartoons. In this cartoon is ironic because madam Jasmine is a fortune teller and see can see everything but she didn't see the car accident occurring in front of her shop.

Irony is defined as the opposite of what is actually meant. Richard was thought out he had everything but he killed himself. It goes to show not everything is what people make it seem to be. Mathilde thought she lost an expensive necklace that she lost. Mathilde lost a lot from not telling the truth to her friend. She lost her beauty and ironic she became poor then she wished. The White House was created by black slaves and free blacks. Even thought they help created the White House they were not allowed access. Irony is seem everywhere. Its seen in literature, cartoons and everyday life. Its used to teach lesson, morals and sometimes it plays out in life. Sometimes irony can't be stop it occurs all anyone can do is laugh at it or learn from it or maybe nothing but one thing is for sure irony is everywhere.


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© Elizabeth Ayala2009