Irony In Vampire's Serenade By Dana Gioia

Keeping it Ironic

Who knew, a vampire could write a serenade. Irony, along with many other voices, are things that poetry allows a writer to express. In Dana Gioia’s poem “Vampire’s Serenade” irony is very prominent. Dana Gioia, a native Californian, is an internationally famous poet who has published four books of poetry, three literary criticism, and over two dozen literary anthologies. “Vampire’s Serenade”, included in the anthology Poetry Speaks Who I Am, is a poem about a vampire who is inside of the victim's head and is seducing him into doing bad things. In this poem a vampire is inside of a victim's mind. The vampire is drawing the victim. Telling him that he …show more content…
A serenade is a happy, joyful, and soothing song. Vampires are totally viewed oppositely. Dark, scary, spooky are some things that pop into the mind when thinking about a vampire. The two are totally opposite, but put into one title.The “Vampire’s Serenade” is seductive. It draws them into their dark thoughts, soothing them, but in the end they have to face their fears. The title is illusive, saying that the poem is a serenade but it is really not a one. In this ironically titled poem, the vampire being a symbol for the bad thoughts of the victim is saying how he is the things that follow you, never leaving. “I am the shadow that falls where ever you pass”. The vampire says that he is “the fire that warms and devours” explaining how the vampire is drawing you in. The fire seems so nice, but if you get to close it will devour you. Gioia uses specific diction to create a spooky mood, for example darkens, shadow, midnight vow, devours, piercing, crave, and fear. If he used “lighter” words it would give a totally different effect. Adding in all of the symbolism and dark thoughts that come to mind when reading this poem, Gioia creates a very scary and unnerving