Expect Nothing And Be Nobody's Darling

Satire and irony are both used in the literary world in many different ways such as parodies. Satire is a literary work that ridicules its subjects through the use of techniques such as exaggeration, reversal, incongruity. Irony is the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally means the opposite, typically for humorous effect. There’s two types of irony which are: verbal irony and dramatic irony. Verbal irony is when something that is said is supposed to mean the opposite. Dramatic irony is when the reader or audience understands more the events of the story than the character in the story.

“Humor brings insight and tolerance. Irony brings a deeper and less friendly understanding” writes Agnes Repplier, a famous essayist, about her feelings about humor and irony. In addition, irony happens in everyday life, even though it may not be evident. Besides the irony that happens in everyday life, it can also be presented in short stories such as: Sherman Alexie’s “Because My Father Always Said He Was The Only Indian Who Saw Jimi 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 all three stories have different characters and conflicts, there are numerous situations of irony that are

Irony, a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. Throughout Night there is use of situational and verbal irony. This use of irony keeps the reader interested. The use of irony causes the reader to know things that the characters often are not aware of.

Although irony may be associated with negative events or actions, it can also be a sign of good for characters within stories. According to Dictionary.com, irony in literature is defined as “a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.” The use of irony is found within the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini uses irony to portray and develop the main dynamic character in this story, Amir. Most of the major events Amir is faced with at a younger age seemingly come full circle when he reaches adulthood. Irony plays a role as Amir lives through tragic events that ultimately teach him how to become a better person.

Throughout time many have had a fascination with serial killers and with help from the media they have become celebrities within our culture. There are many books, movies, television shows, and news coverage to introduce viewers to their lives. With all the interest behind serial killers, many wonder how they come to be this violent. The question is often asked, are serial killers born or made?

Irony is used in many different types of texts for the purpose of teaching us a lesson. We experience irony in our lives through our own encounters as well as through texts and media. There are three types of irony: situational, verbal, and dramatic. Each type has a way of teaching us an important lesson, although some are more common than others. In the Poem “The Old Man’s Lazy” by Peter Blue Cloud, irony is used throughout the text, allowing us to learn from the characters’ mistakes.

The author of the story “Lamb to the Slaughter”, Roald Dahl, uses a significant amount of irony throughout the story. Dahl uses irony to make his story more appealing to the reader by keeping them engaged. An example of irony in the story is when Mary is six months pregnant and her husband expresses he is leaving her, so she murders him. The audience would have never seen this coming because the author expresses Mary’s feelings from the beginning of the story by saying, “She loved him for the way he sat loosely in a chair, for the way he came in the door or moved slowly across the room with long strides. She loved the intent, far look in his eyes when they rested on her, the funny shape of the mouth, and especially the way he remained silent about his tiredness, sitting still with himself until the whiskey had taken some of it away.” (Dahl 1-2). When Dahl shares Mary’s feelings, the reader concludes that Mary is an innocent, loving wife that truly loves her husband and would do absolutely anything for him. But when Mary murders him after he decides to leave, situational irony appears. This is an example of situational irony because the reader would never expect Mary to murder her husband, but the exact opposite occurs. Dahl also uses situational irony as an example of language. The language makes the story more intriguing and exciting. The situational irony is used in the story to shock the reader and to create the climax of the plot.

“A Question of Identity” by James Baldwin discusses about the experience of American students in Paris. These students share only one commonality and that is they all have military experiences. Even though they have served in the war, each of them has their unique and “private” experience. After the war, instead of going back home to America, the students decided stay in Europe. James Baldwin tries to analyze and figure out the reasons for these students to stay back and live in Paris.

In her essay "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens," Alice Walker speaks first about the untouchable faith of the

Irony is most commonly used in dialogue to express sarcasm and humor, however it can also be applied to add depth to literature. Mary Shelley employs irony in Frankenstein to emphasize the truth and prompt her readers to question pivotal concepts. Her use of irony does not intended for humor, but instead, she utilizes ironic devices to enhance her overall themes and convey the unpredictable consequences of actions.

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.

Authors use irony in literature in order to give double meanings and make it more interesting to the reader. In the play “ The Death of a Salesman” Arthur Miller uses irony as a strong writing technique in order to express the character's behavior. In “The Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller moments of situational and dramatic irony helps to illustrate the story's theme in which Willy is a man trying yo achieve the American dream, however he have created a world of illusion.

Irony is defined as “a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character:”(“Irony” Entry 3. Oxford Dictionary. November 5th, 2015, Web.) In literature, irony can be used to foreshadow situations about to occur. Irony is a literary technique that can be expressed in 3 different ways. There is Dramatic irony, Situational Irony, and Verbal Irony. Situational irony is defined as, “irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.” ("situational-irony."(Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 05 Nov.

"Irony is a device that protects him (the artist) from the pain of his experience so that he may use it objectively in his art(Susquehanna. "New Critical")." In The Glass Menagerie, it is ironic how Tom speaks badly of his father and his leaving home but in the end he leaves home just like his father, the man "in love with long distances (Williams 30)''. The fact that Amanda wants what is best for her children is ironic because she worries so much over it that she doesn't realize what is best for them.

According to I. A. Richards, irony is characteristic of poetry of the highest order, as it brings in the opposite, complementary impulses, in order to achieve a “balanced poise”. (Richards, 1924). Irony itself refers to the statement that has the opposite meaning from what it written or expected. In the Lucile Clifton’s poem entitled “Forgiving My Father”, it can be found the irony inside it. The irony of the poem appears in the second stanza. The irony is seen from the way she talks to her father, for example, “there is no more time for you. There will never be time enough daddy, daddy, old lecher old liar” (Clifton, 1969). The sentences in the second stanza express anger, irony and hatred of the daughter toward her father. It can be seen from the words “old lecher” and “old liar” that she really hates her father, and it show that her father is not a good role man for her. The second stanza explain how the anger and hatred of the daughter to her