Different Roles of Irony in Fussell Essay

The first example of situational irony would be Fortunato’s name, which means fortunate in Italian, an ironic name for someone who is about to be left in the catacombs to die. Another example of irony is when Montresor says, “It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe, 3). Obviously this is dramatic irony as Fortunato has no idea that Montresor is smiling because he will kill him rather than actually being happy to meet him. Also verbal irony is present when Montresor says,

In the drama Trifles, Glaspell shows two main view points. That is how the men have the role of being the head of everything and how the women do not get as fairly treated and are only house maids to the men. She characterizes the men as not giving the women the credit they deserve for their hard labors each and everyday. The sheriff, attorney, and neighboring farmer help prove how in the past men were completely superior to women. By showing these two points it makes us feel more sympathetic for the women because of how they are treated. The women always have to go along with what the men tell them, even if they disagree. Since the men are distinguished from the women, the women form their own

William Dean Howells was an advocate of realism in writing; he believed that literary art should reflect the reality of the common man and demonstrate the truth of everyday current issues. He believed in truthful writing and he accepted very little at face value. He practiced this belief in his own writing, and his story called “Editha” is a good example of this. In this ironic tragedy, W.D. Howells shows the truth and nature of war. He uses a combination of metaphoric characters, irony, and the pathos appeal to create an almost grotesque parody of the reality of war. In final analysis, Howells is successful in highlighting the consequences of war and inspiring the audience to question the wisdom of those who advocate armed conflict.

There are good examples of verbal and situational irony in Elsie Wiesel's memoir Night. Verbal irony occurs when words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant. It is grimly ironic when, after the Jews are ordered to wear yellow stars, Elise’s father says, "The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don't die of it..." The statement is ironic because that is precisely how Elise’s father died. The wearing of the yellow star was one step on the path to the concentration camps and almost certain death. After almost a year in the camps, Elise’s father dies from dysentery at Buchenwald.

Select an ironic literary work and explain the multivocal nature of the irony in the work.

Irony is not always funny; verbal, dramatic, and situational irony are often used to assert truth or to add depth to an author’s writing. In Erich Maria Remarque’s book, All Quiet on the Western Front, the reader experiences years of life on the front of World War I through the eyes of a young German man, Paul Bäumer, who has enlisted with his classmates at the expectation of their schoolmaster. Remarque uses irony throughout his novel, best displayed in the names of the characters, the various settings, and in the deaths of the characters.

The Great War and Modern Memory, is collection of literature from World War I, and is about World War I, that he uses to create an all encompassing picture of the war and how it was experienced by those who fought in it. In Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory, he argues that, war is irony, and that World War I was hope abridged, and this parallels his presentation of homosexuality in World War I. Throughout the work, Fussell argues that World War I was an agony of irony, and moreover that all wars are ironic. To do this he uses literature of the time and analyzes the circumstances, thoughts and literary craft of the writing. Finally, one of the most ironic parts of this work, was the section “Soldier Boys” and Fussell’s analysis of homosexuality on the

If it were possible for irony to be experienced physically after observing an ironic event, this would be the prime example. A man employed at a stress ball packing plant in the UK city of Blackpool was terminated from his temporary job after he punched out his boss and then brandished knives at his co-workers before making a break for it and legging it out the door.

William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, used irony to tell his story of a group of young British boys stranded on a deserted island. The readers can clearly spot the irony in the dialogue and Ralph, one of the main character, is also aware of the irony in his situation. The irony in the novel forces the readers to step aside and think about the hidden meanings the author is trying to express.

Kate Chopin uses irony in her stories to show true emotion. It is also used to show feelings as well. Throughout her short story "The Storm," several examples of irony come forth, whether it be verbal, situational, or dramatic, it aids us to stay focused on the story by keeping it interesting.

Many authors use irony to posses readers’ attention, and to help convey a theme. For instance in the stories The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, and The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry the authors use different types of irony to create tension and to make the story more interesting. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe is about a man who says he’s suffered “A thousand injuries...”(172) and takes revenge on his friend. He does this by lowering him deep into the Catacombs by telling his friend he has bought Amontillado(a medium dry Sherry) and uses reverse psychology to have him keep going. The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry is about a poor deeply in love couple who both ironically give up even their most prized possessions to make one

People watch other individuals experience irony all the time. When something is ironic it means that the thing that was to happen, did not happen the way it was thought to happen. Sometimes irony happens to those who least expect it or irony happens to everyone. There have been songs, television ads, and stories written about irony or that have included ironic events or details. One piece of literature that contains a lot of irony is Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”. Crane uses irony in many different ways in the story to tell of four individuals who survive their ship being wrecked and everyone else aboard has drown.

Another very interesting use of irony to protest war can be found in The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. He describes a man, John Bartle, who returned from Iraq, and his thoughts. At the very end of the passage, the main character says to himself, “you are a coward and, really, cowardice got you into this mess because you wanted to be a man…” (Powers). These lines are very powerful because they describe how men are peer pressured by society into serving their country in a war. John felt like a coward for not wanting to go to war, and now, ironically, he feels like a coward for not staying true to himself.

In The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers also uses irony to support his protest against war by saying that most people who go to war are cowards because they are trying to prove that they are men by fighting and promoting war and when they actually go to war, they realize that their cowardice got them into it (Powers). The irony in this statement is that the reader would not expect a soldier to go to war to prove their bravery just to have it fail. Writers use irony to protest war because it strengthens their

Gentle irony and wondering sarcastic irony can be used as weapons in satire. For example, the Pardoner’s prolonged to his tale.