Irony In Edgar Lee Master's Poetry

Irony is defined as “a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words.”(literarydevices.net) In his Spoon River Anthology, realist poet Edgar Lee Masters uses irony to depict his characters, his poems divulging bizarre situations where appearance and reality may be distinct. From a graveyard and the depth of their tombs, three citizens of Spoon River, Trainor the Druggist, Doc Hill, and Margaret Fuller Slack, tell the truth about themselves, each telling what may be his or her own epitaph. They each depict three versions of love, and give an ironic view of themselves and others. The first ironic twist of these poems is straightforward: these three characters are dead, while “I Trainor, the druggist (was) killed while making an experiment”, Doc Hill talks about “the day of (his) funeral”, and Margaret Fuller Slack”died from lock--jaw.” Using free verse in his
Although the revealed secrets can be outrageous—stories of selfishness and greed for Margaret who married “the rich druggist” for “the promise of leisure for (her) novel”, of frustration from Trainor whose knowledge of chemistry did not bring love as he “lived unwedded”, or adultery for Doc Hill who can see his lover hidden behind a tree to hide her sorrow from the town unaware of their illicit love “I saw Em Stanton (…) Hiding herself, and her grief!” , they all tell their stories calmly and simply as death has unchained them from the reality of their lives and emotions. Thanks to this freedom, the reader witnesses a visceral and poignant portrait of these people, how they thought, and behaved, and learn what truly motivated them. Their voices offer a rich and fascinating picture of that imaginary town. Death delivers its victims from hypocrisy, and the narrow-mindedness of life in society. Here, Masters gives us a satire of life in