Irony and surprise are common literary devices authors use to communicate their ideas when writing literary works. Irony allows the writer to suggest an interpretation that is different from the literal meaning of the words used in the text. The element of surprise allows the writer to manipulate the reader’s expectations and take them somewhere completely different. In the short stories‚ A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flanney O’Connor and Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood‚ both authors use the element
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husband‚ John. Throughout this play‚ Glaspell uses symbolism‚ irony‚ and the setting of the play and draw the readers in. The men investigating the scene are unable to solve the crime due to the fact that each piece of evidence is a domestic item that is generally specific to women. However‚ the two women that are also involved throughout this scene begin to pick up on these clues as the story progresses. Collectively the use of irony‚ the setting‚ and symbolism portray the ideals and attitudes of
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The irony within situations and statements dominates a story’s plot‚ contributing to both the rising and the falling action‚ which William Golding accentuates in Lord of the Flies. When a group of young boys crash their plane on an island‚ they perceive the situation as an adventure‚ but they soon realize the danger in the unpropitious circumstances at hand. Through the situational and verbal irony that arises‚ Golding delineates how people can hypocritically adapt to having characteristics they
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Analysis of Dickens’ use of irony‚ satire and humour in Oliver Twist. There are multiple examples throughout Oliver Twist of irony‚ satire and humour. Although a dark novel‚ there are many moments of humour and an extraordinary amount of chuckling‚ giggling and knee-slapping by characters. Each of the literary techniques of humour‚ irony and satire‚ employed by Dickens help add focus and depth on the various conflicts between the novels outcasts and its established society. It is impossible to cover
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Irony is the general name given to literary techniques that involve surprising‚ interesting‚ or amusing contradictions. Two stories from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales that serve as excellent demonstrations of irony are "The Pardoners Tale" and "The Nun’s Priest’s Tale." Although these two stories are very different‚ they both use irony to teach a lesson. In "The Pardoner’s Tale‚ the Pardoner uses his story to speak out against many social problems‚ all of which he is guilty of. He preaches about
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Pride and Prejudice: Irony "It is a truth universally acknowledged‚ that a single man in possession of a good fortune‚ must be in want of a wife".(pg.1) The first sentence of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is perhaps the most famous opening of all English comedies concerning social manners. It encapsulates the ambitions of the empty headed Mrs. Bennet‚ and her desire to find a good match for each of her five daughters from the middle-class young men of the family’s acquaintance: "The business
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story called‚ “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe used verbal irony to foreshadow the grim demise of Fortunato in the story of the Cask of Amontillado. Throughout the story‚ Poe used a lot of verbal irony to foreshadow the death of Fortunato. An example of verbal irony is when Montressor replies to Fortunato during a toast‚ “And I to your [Fortunato] long life” (99). This is verbal irony since Montessor knows that Fortunato will not have a long life for long and that he is
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In “The Tell-Tale Heart‚” irony occurs throughout the story. For example‚ irony occurs when the old man locks himself in his home to escape evil only to be killed by someone within. Poe states‚ “His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters had been close fastened‚ through fear of robbers)…” (524). By looking at this quotation‚ we can see that the old man feared being robbed‚ so he placed shutters on all the doors to be safe and to keep thieves from stealing his gold and
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In the classic Greek play Oedipus‚ the King‚ written by Sophocles‚ he writes with dramatic irony to create suspense as you read along. By adding parts of the play that prove that the readers know more than the characters themselves do. For instance‚ when Oedipus gathered the townspeople of Thebes around and commanded them to give up the murder of Laius. Oedipus cursed the murderer (himself) saying “Upon the murderer i invoke this curse: may he live out his life in misery to miserable doom!” With
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this is by introducing irony. Irony is an outcome of events that is contrary to what was expected. Many authors may use three different types of irony to get their point across. These types of irony are verbal‚ dramatic‚ or situational. They may apply irony to turn a story around and to give it a twist. One author who utilizes this technique is Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales. In fact‚ Chaucer enhances irony in his story “The Miller’s Tale.” He incorporates irony to entertain his readers
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