How Does Poe Use Irony In The Gift Of The Magi

For example, in The Count of Monte Cristo, the author uses irony to show how devastating vengeance can be and how blind vengeance can make you, especially if taken too far. The Count is a man who is playing the role of God, And part of his vengeance plan is to emotionally hurt Monsieur de Villefort. There is a murderer in his house who is poisoning a

What is irony? Does every ironic situation develop a conflict? Can irony really keep a reader at the edge of their seat? According to class discussion, irony is the opposite of what we expect to happen. Additionally, irony is helpful to authors as it gives opportunities for them to keep their stories more intriguing. To demonstrate the idea of irony are three short stories: Sherman Alexie’s “Because My Father Always Said He Was The Only Indian Who Saw Jimmy Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ At Woodstock,” Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children.” Although the three stories are written by different authors, they all use situational irony to keep the reader intrigued.

In the short story Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe dramatic irony is uses countless times to improve the story. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that a character in a story doesn't, it creates a feeling of suspense. In Cask of Amontillado dramatic irony is used to foreshadow the inevitable death of Fortunato. The first time that irony plays a role in the story is when Montresor sees the Fortunato and exclaims to him "My dear Fortunato. you are luckily met" (Poe).

The story “The Cask of Amontillado’ has all three types of irony throughout it, which brings more depth to character and better develops a plot. Dramatic irony, the first type of irony used in the story, is when readers know something that the character does not. In the beginning, the protagonist tells the audience that he is plotting revenge for Fortunato. Fortunato does except betrayal from his friend, yet the reader does, therefore this is an example of dramatic irony. Along with dramatic irony, verbal irony, when a character says one thing but means the opposite, is another type of irony used. When Fortunato repeatedly coughs, Montresor pretends to care about him and offers to take him back, but Fortunato just wants to continue further,

Irony is used in the beginning scene of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." When we first meet Fortunato he is dressed as a jester. According to the story, "he had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells." This is an important part of the story, because we know that Montresor wishes for revenge and wants Fortunato to feel like a clown as he felt when Fortunato had insulted him.

Irony has been used in many forms to add humor and suspense in literature. Edger Allen Poe used verbal irony in the “The Cask of Amontillado” to show Montresor’s true intentions throughout the story. Montresor is the mastermind behind the plan to kill Fontunato, a prideful, wealthy man who adores wine, which in the end makes him the perfect target. We know Montresor’s intentions are to eliminate his “friend” because he says, “I must not only punish, but punish the impunity.”(pg. 233)

What type of irony does Edgar Allan Poe predominately use in "The Cask of Amontillado"? How does the irony affect the overall tone of the story?

There is such a great deal of irony in “A Cask of Amontillado” that it can be directly related to the characters, setting, and plot of the story. Poe does this most effectively through dramatic, verbal, and situational irony. First, the situation irony is brought forth due to “the supreme madness of the carnival” (Poe 291). Carnivals would most likely be times of enjoyment, but Poe uses this situation as an advantage for his main character. The dramatic irony comes from the reader’s knowledge of Montresor's revenge plot.

The situational irony used in the Cask Of Amontillado likewise is used to reach the plot. It is inferred when Montresor behaves in a friendly manner and brings Fortunato too the dark vaults to supposedly to show him a wine casket but instead kills and obtains his revenge on him. Even though the reader can see that Montresor was going to kill Fortunato, for at the beginning of the book it is said, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best as I could;but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” (233) it was still very unexpected for his friend, which still helps reach the plot in a effective manner. Being this , there is contrasts in the use of irony in the two short stories which leads to an effect on the type of tone the authors and theme.

In his short story, The Cask of Amontillado, Poe includes numerous examples of verbal and dramatic irony to also show the misfortunes of a main character, Fortunato. He begins his story by saying, “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met” (Poe, 1). However, this is quite the opposite of what he means, as the reader soon learns that he will die. The first time this story is read, the reader does not fully understand what is to happen, but upon reaching the end, the reader notices the subtle hints that the author has thrown in to show his intentions for the characters. Likewise, in another of Poe’s short stories, The Tell-Tale Heart, he uses irony for the purpose of showing the wicked intentions of the main character. The story follows a man, who appears to be mad, go from caretaker of a man to murderer of the very same person. During his time as caretaker he says, “His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers)” (Poe, 2). This is an example of dramatic irony as the reader knows that the man should not fear people coming in from the outside, but the one that he already lets into his home. The irony builds suspense as the intentions of the man become clearer and the reader is on edge waiting to see what he does next. In Poe’s short stories the use of irony is used both to build suspense and hint at the

“The Cask of Amontillado”, a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe, is an great example of a literary work containing irony and using it to express the theme of appearances vs. reality. The author uses different types of irony to show the hidden meaning in his words. This element is used constantly in “The Cask of Amontillado”, for its narrator is a twisted minded man who is taking revenge on someone who thinks he is a friend. The narrator, Montresor, needs Fortunato to believe this, so he acts and talks like a friend even though he does not really mean it.

Irony is another literary element. This writing element is used incorrectly a lot. The real definition of irony is expressing something in a way that typically means the opposite. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor agrees when Fortunato tells him not to worry about his cough, that it will not kill him. This is an example of dramatic irony, because he is agreeing he will live, but is truly intending to take his life.

Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is an imposing, significant, and educational short story filled with numerous elements of literature, including irony. For example, the reader gains the knowledge that Montresor, the narrator, has plotted revenge against Fortunato, a selfish, arrogant man addicted to wine early on in the story, yet Fortunato is not aware that he will soon rot away in the damp, gloomy catacombs of Italy. Taking that into consideration, when the reader knows something the character is not conscious of, it is identified as dramatic irony. Furthermore, Fortunato’s name is as ironic as the story line. To clarify further, Fortunato is the Italian or Spanish form of the word fortunate, however, looking at Fortunato’s fate

In the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado”, the author creates irony which develops the theme, vengefulness. Trying to deviously convince Fortunato into his trap, Montresor said, as they were heading down to the basement, “we will go back; your health is precious”, thus convincing Fortunato that Montresor's story was sincere (Poe, 3). The author uses irony to create the general concept of the theme, vengefulness. Irony helps make the short story much more entertaining by developing the characters characteristics, which grabs the attention of readers. Irony is a great literary device to use in short stories because it grabs the attention of the reader, and further develops the theme.

O. Henry incorporates mood and tone to set the theme of love and sacrifice by using literary devices such a irony and symbolism to make an even greater impact. The definition of irony is a kind of device which is used in literature to increase the values of the work, consists of saying one thing while you mean another.(English Lit...2). O. Henry puts together two different types of irony. He uses situational and dramatic irony in the story of “The gift of Magi”.