Essay on Irony in All King's Men

On the other hand, Warren uses religion to challenge Jack Burden on his ultimate quest for truth. When Adam Stanton explains how a person would be different if they survived a lobectomy, Jack wonders: “Like after you get converted and baptized?” (316). Jack’s mindset, clearly technical and systematic, shows he is merely regurgitating fact. Jack’s mention of religious ceremony and tradition shows his simple and “scientific” perception of truth. Furthermore, Jack’s desire to attach truth to simple recitation of fact is complicated when he recognizes a different kind of truth in Willie. Jack, after having done months of research to collect dirt for Willie, reveals to Judge Irwin that he knows of the

In Act 3 scene I, we see dramatic irony right from the start when the

Jack illustrates the purpose of deception by using Earnest to escape his role of Cecily’s warden. When Algernon finds Jack’s cigarette case, he is shocked to find the name Jack graven inside. Jack attempts to explain by saying, “[M]y name is Ernest in town and Jack in the country” (Wilde Act I). As Jack, he has to be a responsible adult and take care of his niece Cecily but as Ernest he is able to live the wild life of a young bachelor. By pretending to be Ernest in town, Jack is freed from the restrictions of being a caretaker, yet he still fulfills the duties of one as he resides in the country. While explaining why he has two identities to Algernon, Jack states that being a guardian does not “conduce very much to either one’s health or one’s happiness” (Wilde Act I). Jack has to take care of Cecily, be responsible for her, and set rules and guidelines for her to follow. In his role of guardian, he finds himself unable to have fun, so he creates an irresponsible, carefree

In the novel All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, the author shows how important the roles of the horses are in the story and how they relate to John Grady, the protagonist of the novel. The horse has played an important role in the development of America. It has been a form of transportation, easy muscle, and companionship. In the Wild West, it was an essential resource for a cowboy to do his daily chores. McCarthy describes horses as spiritual and as resembling the human soul; meaning that horses came in many different forms. Horses are pretty, ugly, wild, tame, etc. in the story, they have so many different descriptions and different types of personality that they appear to resemble

On an island that destroys innocence and welcomes chaos lives a group of boys. The book, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, was written after World War II. A plane crashed and a group of boys were left alone on the island. Golding shows the transition of the boys from society and innocence, to savagery and chaos. Without society our world would turn into savages, Golding shows this through irony because of what he witnessed in World War II.

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” Benjamin Franklin said this to explain that an individual can accomplish countless admirable tasks to create a good reputation, but only one mistake can end it. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, explains the Salem Witch Trials during the 1950s, illustrating the extreme consequences that can result from desires and secrets and emphasizes a deeper meaning into how important one’s actions can greatly affect their reputation. The drama relates to Franklin’s quote because it emphasizes that reputations, especially of those who have authority, can be built over many years of hard work but are able to be destroyed in one minute. Through irony, absolutes, and fallacies,

Moreover, a critical essay written by R. Gray called "The American Novelist and American History: A Revaluation of 'All the King's Men’" effectively explains the analysis of images and symbols in All the King’s Men. The author of this literary piece tells the reader of Warren’s interest in the history and comparison of the political leader Huey Long and Willie Stark. Willie Stark’s character and absurd ideologies have been inspired by a legitimate politician from the 1930s. Huey Long did not see the flaws in his ideologies the same way Willie does not, and the demolishment of their careers is evident in both

This irony shows up again when he sardonically quotes the dead baby joke: “‘What’s the difference between a truckload of bowling balls and a truckload of dead babies’ (You can’t unload the truckload of bowling balls with a pitchfork.)” This macabre joke serves two purposes: it provides an example of human nature’s desire to laugh at the pain of others, while simultaneously reiterating the same point by actually entertaining the reader! Of course, Mr. King is a horror writer himself, so there does seem to be some bias in his argument; that is, he is defending his own art. Staying away from facts, Mr. King gathers his main points from his own opinions and theories.

• Hamlet does not murder Claudius because he thinks that he is praying, and that Claudius would go to heaven if he died while he was praying.

It’s time some people know they’ve got to keep quiet and leave deciding things for the rest of us” (139). Jack’s deprecation of the conch, a fierce symbol of democracy and social equity, reflects his true character. He does not believe in this kind of liberal fairness, where everyone gets a voice, especially the people whom he deems unworthy to speak. Jack yearns to be the one and only tyrant of the boys’ society. This feeling of anti-democracy he harbors shows that in his mind, he has already established a hierarchy in which he is at the top, and those below him must bow down.

                In some literature, a character’s moral stature plays an important role.  In the play, A Man for All Seasons, by Robert Bolt, no other character comes close to More’s moral reputation.  Thomas Cromwell and Richard Rich do not compare to More’s moral stature because both Rich and Cromwell lie, while Rich accepts bribes and Cromwell does anything King Henry VIII tells him to no matter what it is, and they will do whatever it takes to get what they want.  More on the other hand, would not lie no matter what the consequences would be, he would not accept a bribe under any circumstance and he would never go against his morals.

In the book Hamlet by Shakespeare, irony is used numerous times in order to give the reader insight on what is going on. As stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, irony is an action that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. If this strategy were not included in this drama, it would take away the whole purpose. This play would consist of no suspense and would be extremely boring to the reader because the characters would know as much as the readers know. This allows for incite to what can happen in the future or what has happened in the past. The irony in this play ultimately revolves around Hamlet and his plan to achieve revenge with Claudius. From the play that Hamlet organizes

    Irony, or the “hiding what is actually the case” in order to “achieve special rhetorical or artistic effects” (Abrams 135), is amply demonstrated in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.

     This essay will discuss the issue of irony in Hamlet by dealing with the problems that arise as a result of Hamlet's attempt to avenge his father's death. One of the central problems is the clash between Hamlet's overpowering need to believe in the ghost of his father, who is the authoritative figure in his life, and the awareness that he lacks empirical knowledge of the truth. In trying to achieve this knowledge, Hamlet sets out on a mixed mission of accusation, revenge and the search for truth, finally causing the upset of the original revenge plot when it ricochets off Polonius' dead body and hits Hamlet in the name of Laertes.

In the impersonality of the capitalist system, there’s no deniability that ultimately all laborers and demanders of laborers are mere cogs in the machine, while those who work the hardest are led by the dreams of materialistic wealth and progress. In her satirical obituary of the average, hard-working businessman led by such dreams, “The Company Man”, Ellen Goodman berates this blindness and these men’s loss of family, friends, opportunities of an actual legacy, and other intangible treasures. Using an array of rhetorical strategies, including dark humor accompanied by a harsh and apathetic tone, she conveys a rather dark portrayal of a man who may be survived, but will never survive in the memory of those who managed to acknowledge his existence