Irony

	Sign In Sign-Up

Irony

Irony means the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. A simple way of putting it is that irony usually signals a difference between the appearance of things and reality.In ironic situations actions often have an effect exactly opposite from what is intended.Irony exists in my life in many ways For example there's times I'm looking for a black shirt in my closet and all I can find are white shirts. There's times when I go crazy looking for change for the bus next thing I know the machine is broken and the ride is free. There are days when I'm running late to school and there's a traffic jam. I just think to myself "How more ironic can this be."

by Edwin Arlington Robinson. In line one it says "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". In the third line it says "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". Everyone viewed him as a nice good looking gentlemen they wished they were in his place and had all the money he had.In the fourth line 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 poem showed how nice Richard was and how he had all this money but it never actually said he was happy.That is what caused him to put a bullet through his head that one calm summer night. This shows irony because it's showing an expected result but not the actual result. This kind of irony is "irony of situation".

In the short story of "The Gift Of The Magi" by O.Henry shows a dramatic type of irony. The story tells how a married couple both go out their way to get each other gifts for Christmas. "Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying little silent prayers about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please, God, make him think I am still pretty." The wife buys her husband a chain to match his watch, and the husband buys his wife clips and other accessories for her hair. Neither of them have enough money so they sell one of their personal belongings to later find out that it was unnecessary. Della the wife sold her hair , and Jim the husband sold his watch. So their gifts for one another were no longer useful. They realized that they didn't need to get each other anything, when all they really needed was each others love and care."For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshiped for long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise-shell, with jeweled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone". Without hair Della cant use the hair accessories her husband got her. And the chain wont match with the watch because he sold it."Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy Your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on." This shows irony because they both went for the material things when they knew love is all they really needed.

"The House That Slaves Built" was very ironic. It was ironic because The White House was once a place where blacks were not allowed.Yet, it was built by African Americans and visited by many too. Also, for the first time ever the President of the United States Barack Obama is now African American. Today blacks are welcomed with open arms into the White House. There is no longer a discrimination, when one time in US history people would've ever thought this day would actually come.

I agree with the author of "Is it ironic that so many don't understand irony?" I agree with his definition of irony "the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony an ironic expression or utterance" I agree with why he thinks that his co-worker does not understand irony "We were talking about the fact that our employers were providing us with a Thanksgiving lunch the day after Thanksgiving, and she said, "It's so ironic!" There is no irony in what she is saying.

This image shows irony because it's a psychic talking to the police about a crime scene that happened in front of her store. The sign in front of the store says that Madame Jasmine sees all , but when the cops ask her about what happened she tells them she doesn't know or didn't see anything. This is ironic because she's supposed to see what happens in the future. She didn't see anything coming. Madame Jasmine doesn't know absolutely anything that happened.

In the song "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette's there are many examples of irony. "An old man turned ninety-eight He won the lottery and died the next day it's a black fly in your Chardonnay It's a death row pardon two minutes too late And isn't it ironic... don't you think" This is ironic because this man is almost 100 years old and he won the lottery and ends up dying. He didn't even get to enjoy that money. We have to enjoy everything at the moment because how the lyrics says "It's a death row pardon two minutes too late". In another verse in the song "Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye He waited his whole damn life to take that flight And as the plane crashed down he thought "Well isn't this nice..." And isn't it ironic... don't you think"

This short video shows irony because there's a girl sitting behind a computer saying that she read part of an article saying that older people are becoming anti-social so she was really aggressive about her parents joining Facebook.While the girl is behind a desk her parents are bike riding with their friends, This shows irony because she's talking about her parents being anti-social and at that moment they are out enjoying themselves with their friends and she is alone.

As I see irony plays a big part in my life in many ways. Ironic statements which are verbal irony that often conveys a meaning exactly opposite from their literal meaning. In ironic situations which are situational irony actions often have an effect exactly opposite from what is intended. In the poem by "Richard Cory" it shows a perfect example of situational irony actions occur that have an effect that's opposite from what we think is intended. A man who seemed happy put a bullet through his head. In the story "The gift of Magi" this couple did a sacrifice to please one another and it wasn't even worth it. The story of "The House that Slaves Built" was a very ironic story slaves built this house and were not allowed in In 2008 an African American man named Barack Obama got elected as President.I go on day by day and don't even notice some ironic situations but I sure do go through them. .