What Are Two Examples Of Verbal Irony

Improved Essays
Conflict/Irony
The external conflict is between Armand and Desiree. Armand and Desiree argument about whether Desiree should leave or not. “Shall I go, Armand, she asked in tones sharp with agonized suspense.” (Chopin, page 3)
One example of verbal irony is diagnosed as “description white.” The white problem is not physical but motionless as it relates to marriage. “Look at my hand: whiter than yours!” and “As white as La Blanche’s…” (Chopin, page 3)

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Un-Fortunato It’s ironic how the one only Fortunato turned out to have an unfortunate ending. In Edgar Allen Poe’s the revenging short story of “The Cask of Amontillado” verbal irony is used to foreshadow Fortunato’s death. While Montressor and Fortunato are in the catacombs, Fortunato picks up a bad cough from the nitre encrusted on the walls.…

    • 216 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Socratic irony has puzzled philosophical inquirers ever since the publication of Plato’s dialogues. Unlike the writings of Aristotle or Epicurus, the dramatic nature of Plato’s dialogues leaves some uncertainty as to whether Socrates truly means what he says. Even the most casual reader cannot help but smile while Socrates admires the knowledge of a seemingly unintelligent interlocutor. For the purposes of this essay, irony is defined as when a character says or acts knowingly in a way that is incongruous with reality.…

    • 1422 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Verbal irony is when a character conveys a meaning using words that is the opposite of the actual meaning or when a statement contradicts itself, and is seen multiple times during the play. One example of verbal irony in The Crucible is when Abigail says, "Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it is God's work I do." Abigail claims that she is doing God's work, but in reality she is doing the devil's work by forcing the girls to lie and causing chaos. Another example of verbal irony is when John Proctor says, "Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee."…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Firstly, college graduates are finding it to take longer and longer to find jobs even with their sparkling new degree. The onion portrays this with their verbal irony and understatement. This article uses boatloads of understatement when referring to how hard it is to receive the perfect job after graduating college. The article understates the time it takes, if the wage is even enough to pay the bills, and if the job is even in the area a person has been studying for four or more years. One example of the understatement used is, “before you secure the perfect job in the field of your choosing that exceeds even your wildest expectations” (Bolton).…

    • 180 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Edgar Allen Poe is famous for his poems and short stories; particularly his dark, mysterious horror stories. What makes his stories so chilling, captivating, and powerful is his technique of using irony. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, various kinds of irony are on display from beginning to end in this illusive tale through the characters, Montresor and Fortunato. Poe emphasizes on three different types of irony in this story to heighten the reader’s engagement: verbal, dramatic, and situational irony. Beginning with verbal irony, it is clear throughout the story that Poe utilizes this irony to communicate one facet, but mean another.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is exactly why this is the climax. This is the whole problem of the story and the most intense part of it as well. In the very beginning and ending of Desiree 's Baby, Kate Chopin used irony. (Irony-Dictionary.com)…

    • 1423 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The author uses verbal irony to help the reader better understand the characters, and give a glimpse of what they might do next. For instance, the wife knows the husband is going to pull out a gun without ammunition in it, It isn’t going to work” (Wright 4) “It’ll work, alright. It's going to work” (Wright 4).The readers knows the gun is not going to work, but the other characters in the story don’t. At this point in the story, we know everything the wife knows, but the husband does not know everything.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For example, irony can be found in a McDonald’s worker giving a speech about child obesity. It wouldn’t make sense because McDonald’s has been proven to give young children obesity. In the short story, The Story of an Hour, a woman named Louise Mallard who had gotten news of her husband’s passing. She then isolates herself…

    • 2067 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis The battle between good and evil can be found throughout all of human history, but what is a “good person”? Is it someone who gives to others, or someone who has compassion for all? Is it possible for criminals to be “good”? Questions like these have started endless debates on what a “good person” is.…

    • 1262 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Ruth Filik’s article “The Emotional Impact of Verbal Irony: Eye-tracking evidence for a two-stage process” explores people’s emotional processing of verbal irony, specifically sarcasm. The article investigates a reader’s emotional response to a short story in which a character receives either sarcastic or explicit criticism. At the end of the anecdote, the reader is made aware of either the critic’s motivations behind the critique or the victim’s emotional response to the criticism. The goal is to reveal how people process characters’ emotional responses to criticism and how that is influenced by people’s own perception of irony. There were two experiments done.…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Intellect is by far the most outstanding artistic element in both Oedipus and Macbeth as is seen in the overwhelming irony and bits of humor throughout both plays. In Oedipus, irony is the most prominent dramatic tool used throughout the entire story. As an overarching idea, it is seen in the fact that Oedipus condemns and is trying to hunt down a man who ends up being the king himself. This is also dramatic irony because the audience knows that Oedipus has fulfilled his prophecy, but he thinks he has escaped it. Found under this umbrella of irony are other pieces.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are a lot of plays that have irony. A Greek play called Oedipus have all types of irony. The author of the play Oedipus uses dramatic, situational, and verbal irony in his play. This play is about a man named Oedipus who becomes a king by killing his father which he was not aware of, later he marries his mother. This is a famous play because people all over the world have read this amazing play.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “The humor function of verbal irony allows a speaker the use humor a way demonstrating they are not upset and in control of a situation” (Dews 3072). Verbal irony is essential to convey messages without expressing to much…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    For instance, Portia states that if one followed the pursuit for mercy then the sentence against merchant shall continue. This statement speaks on the contrary for Antonio. One reason behind why this is verbal irony is for the reason Portia speaks on the contrary of Antonio of what is intended. In summary, Portia speaks on the contrary and this represents verbal irony in the light of the fact…

    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Edgar Allan Poe is famous for many things: such as being an alcoholic and marrying his cousin, but above all, he is known for his fantastic use of suspense in “The Cask of Amontillado”("Edgar Allan Poe."). Poe successfully achieves this effect of suspense, through his use of irony, specifically dramatic and verbal irony. Irony, in general, can be described 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” (Irony - Examples and Definition of Irony). Whereas, dramatic irony is defined more as a situation where the nature of the circumstances at hand are understood by the reader, but not by the characters. On the other hand, verbal irony is when a character…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays