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IronyIrony, is a literary technique used to express a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea. Irony consist of three distinct types, Verbal, dramatic, and situational. Verbal irony is when what is said is the opposite of what is meant, an example of this, "As soft as concrete". Dramatic irony, which is used in speeches or situations of drama, is when the dramatic effect is achieved by leading the audience to perceive something a character does not know, thus engaging them, an example being suspense in movies, as the music plays we, the audience, are informed about something that is going to happen, unlike the character which cannot hear it. Lastly, Situational irony, the outcome that turns out to be very different from what is expected, an example, a movie where someone is aiming a gun to kill a person, and someone else comes in and kills the shooter. Irony is used in Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem, "Richard Cory". Richard Cory is a poem of a man who was envied by his onlookers, "in fine we thought that he was everything to make us wish that we were in his place." He was described as a gentleman from "sole to crown", clean favored, humble, and richer than a king. The irony gets put into play when at the end of the poem, Richard Cory committed suicide. "So on we worked, and waited for the light, and went without the meat, and cursed the bread;", here his onlookers are, working class, couldn't always afford meat, and made due with bread, and the man who had everything ended up killing himself. It is extremely ironic for someone, who was put up on a throne by many, as this amazing man to have been so miserable to have killed himself. A short story with an ironic twist is Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace", which is about a woman named Mathilde Loisel, who was born into a family of artisans and ends up marrying a clerk. She forever longed a life of riches, and throughout her marriage found herself miserable and embarrassed of her lifestyle,"She suffered from the poorness of her house, from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains." She continuously went about day dreaming of a better life, "She imagined vast saloons hung with antique silks, exquisite pieces of furniture supporting priceless ornaments, and small, charming, perfumed rooms, created just for little parties of intimate friends, men who were famous and sought after, whose homage roused every other woman's envious longings. " One day, as her husband surely noticed how miserable she was, decided to surprise her with an invitation to the Ministry. Instead of being happy and thankful, she broke down in tears and complained that she had no dress in which to go. So her husband willingly gave his savings to his wife to buy her a new dress, only now she had no jewelry, so the woman borrowed a diamond necklace from her rich friend. The night of the ball, she had the time of her life, until she gets home, when she noticed that the necklace was missing, which is where the irony starts off, the missing necklace clearly indicates the twist in our story. They searched and found nothing, their only ultimatum being to buy a brand new necklace, which they clearly had no funds for. So on they went, borrowing here and there, emptying their savings and replaced the necklace. Now they had to pay off everyone they borrowed money from, which took them years to pay off. By the end of finally paying off what they owed, Mathilde had changed completely, she was now coarse and old, like all the other women of poor households,"Her hair was badly done, her skirts were awry, her hands were red. She spoke in a shrill voice, and the water slopped all over the floor when she scrubbed it.", and coincidentally bumped into her rich friend that same day, after years, and informed her of what really happened to her necklace and how hard it's been for her to finally pay it off. This is an example of situational irony, after hearing this, her rich friend kindly tells Mathilde that the necklace she borrowed that night was nothing but a mere piece of costume jewelry. After all the hard work that Mathilde had put into paying off a necklace which she so desperately needed, she finds out that it all could have been avoided, one by being honest with her friend, or by appreciating what she had instead of what she desired. Gardiner Harris', "The House That Slaves Built", is another good example of irony in literature. "The House That Slaves Built", is an article which explains the history of the White House and it's association with African Americans. The White House was originally built by African Americans, both free and enslaved, and during that period were not allowed to enter the White House. If so, criticism immediately followed. A number of high ranked blacks, such as Frederick Douglas, were denied access unless the President personally admitted them, and even at that they were discriminated against. Ironically, today, we have an African American President, Barack Obama, who is now living in the White House with his family. After 200 years of his race being treated as inferior, and disallowed, an African American is not only allowed, but is the one calling the shots, representing the well earned change and power for his people, including those who built his home. Below is an example of irony expressed in comics.
Irony, which breaks up into three types, verbal, dramatic, and situatioal, is used practically anywhere, weather it be in real life events, fictional stories, or in comics. Irony is used to express the opposite of the literal meaning in sentences, giving such things as literature more of an edge and personality.
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The man in this cartoon is a author, who's
at a book store for a book signing. Ironic is the title of his book, "The Secrets of Popularity". Assuming that he's an expert
on popularity, it is ironic that absolutely no one attended his book signing.