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Theme Of Irony In The Third Gospel By Mecke

Decent Essays

The meaning of irony is “saying one thing and meaning another.” Biblical scholar Muecke provides more specific description on irony base on three features: • For him Irony is a “double layered or two storey phenomenon.” It means it has two meanings: deeper meaning and lower meaning. He notices that always lower level is the victim of the irony. • He finds clash between deeper meaning and lower meaning which he calls “some kind of opposition.” • The lower level is always victim and unaware of contrasting level which he calls “innocent.” Muecke’s “two storey phenomenon” is very useful to analyze irony in the Fourth Gospel. The “two storey phenomenon” is a literary structure. It implies two levels of meaning: the deeper level and the surface …show more content…

For him verbal irony is a character says one thing but means another. For example John 3:4 “Nicodemus said to him, how can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” This is Nicodemus ironic response to Jesus. He does not mean that he wants to go back into his mother’s womb and be born again. For Muecke situational irony is involve a character in the story not aware of being ironic and acts just opposite what is expected him/her because of lack of certain knowledge or information. For example John 11: 50, “You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” Here Caiaphas is trying to persuade the council to condemn Jesus. He suggests that Jesus should die for the people. It is true what he (Caiaphas) says even though he does not mean it. Another form of situational irony is dramatic irony. The dramatic irony is a literary device. In the dramatic irony the audience knows the character better than the character. Because narrator proves more information to readers about the character but the character does not know. It implies that the words in the narrative have significant meaning for the reader than for the …show more content…

In this irony the author and the readers share some knowledge or perceptions because the narrator provides secret information or explanations to the readers to develop dramatic irony. The victim is not given the piece of information. Ironically Nicodemus says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God” (3:1-2). Readers know that Nicodemus is the one to whom Jesus would not entrust himself. Nicodemus without knowing disclose that he has inadequate faith in Jesus. In this situation Nicodemus become victim of the

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