Irony is defined as the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” there are several examples of irony. In fact, the title itself is ironic in that so many unexpected accounts happen in the life of Louise Mallard in the small amount of sixty minutes. Irony usually contains an incongruity. Therefore, the most conspicuous example of situational irony is in when Bently Mallard was believed to be dead and Louise Mallard had come alive with life.
To start off, the author, uses the message to help convey irony. For example, as the party has started,
Having a pregnant wife could sometimes end in ways you couldn't imagine. That's the idea in “Lamb to the Slaughter” , a short story by Roald Dahl. In the short story, a woman named Mary Maloney waits for her husband Patrick to get home from work. When he comes, he is very tired and wants to have a divorce with Mary. While Mary is stunned, she kills him with a leg of lamb.
In “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Roald Dahl uses irony to highlight major points. Irony contradicts what is said and what actually happens. For example, dramatic irony is present when a detective in the story states, “‘It’s probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?’” (Dahl).
An example of irony in the section about the students is the idea of what is good or bad. As its states, “Students throw out many good things, including food” (Eighner 110). Presumably, food is thrown out because it is bad and is unfavorable to the student, however; Eighner finds that the student throwing out food is a good thing because it is favorable thing to him and others. Another example of irony is the food’s value. As its states, “The students does not know that, and since it is Daddy’s money, the student decides not to take a chance” (Eighner 111).
Storytelling has been the epitome of human expression for thousands of years. Along with musicians and artists, talented storytellers use their work to share ideas with others, often in an effort to evoke emotion or to persuade people to think similarly. Every element in a story is carefully crafted by the author in order to communicate a desired message to his or her audience. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut incorporates irony into the story to express his belief that fighting wars is illogical.
In “The Interlopers”, irony is a key element the author Saki uses to convey the theme that when people hold grudges, the outcome of the feud is often tragic. The story tells of two rivaling families who lived in the Carpathian mountains, the Gradwitz and Znaeym families. The families quarrel began over the strip of land in between their properties. Both men claimed the land belonged to him and wanted all of it for himself. In the end there was lawsuit stating the land rightfully belonged to the Gradwitzes.
Lamb to the Slaughter is an action packed short story about a wife who is let down by her husband and proceeds to kill him as an act of revenge. Obviously much more happens in this story consisting of humour, action, mystery and irony. Roald Dahl is a master of writing short stories in ways that attract readers, draw them into what is happening through using literary elements and universal themes to make the story relatable to the readers. In this story the main literary elements were foreshadowing, situation and dramatic irony, imagery and symbolism which really drew me in and kept me attached to the story. Literary elements are what make a story powerful and attracts readers to continue reading in the story and in this story they highlight the universal theme of Revenge and Betrayal.
The television series Shameless depicts a dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher who is a single father of six children in which he spends most of his days on drugs and having misadventures while his kids learn to take care of themselves and survive with doing petty jobs to keep their house. Among the many characters are Fiona, Carl, and Frank. Fiona is the main protagonist who is like the mother of the family and maintains the family afloat but the other siblings have to do their part in the household. Carl is the second youngest boy in the family who has struggles with fitting in society and tries to find who he is by being apart of different groups. In season six, episode three of the series, each characters uses satirical and comedic devices to address social issues of poverty, society, and parenthood that is shown through verbal irony, dramatic irony and understatement.
Another example of irony in this text is dramatic irony. The reader knows that the narrator is planning to kill the man very soon, while the man has no clue that he is about to be killed, and he is just sleeping. “To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts.” The readers know that the narrator is stalking the old man, while the old man is just sleeping. Suspense is created since the reader does not know what the old man will do, whether he will be killed, or whether he will notice the
The Ironic Truth Irony is a complex and important element of literature that can help discover hidden perspectives within characters or hide the truth in plain sight. The story by Edgar Allen Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” is a great example the dark ironic twist that happen in the story. The main character, Montresor, is hell-bent on getting his revenge on the man who shamed him, Fortunato. The verbal and dramatic irony that is being used in the story “The Cask of Amontillado” helps hide the true intentions that Montresor has planned for Fortunato. Verbal irony happens when one character says one thing but actually means something completely different.
Planning with Cowardice In the book “Lamb To The Slaughter,” written by Roald Dahl, was a really cliffhanger story. During the story Mary’s husband decides he wants to leave Mary after she’s already six months pregnant with her husband. Something tweaks in her head and ends his life with a leg of lamb, that she was going to cook for dinner.
Irony is often used in literature to illustrate certain situations to the audience. In some pieces of literature that might be pointing out an unjust system, in others that might be to add a comedic effect, but whatever situation the author wants to illustrate, irony is very beneficial. Through small and witty, one-liners, or a bigger dramatic irony situation contrasting two very different situations, irony can be very beneficial for the reader to understand the story. Both “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins have a corrupt dystopian society. Through the use of irony, the author can portray the corruptness to the audience.
In Roald Dahl’s riveting short story “Lamb to the Slaughter” dramatic irony is used to build tension. Dramatic irony is defined as a literary device where the reader knows more about a situation than the characters in the story. The main character Ms. Maloney, a devoted and tender wife, suddenly turns into a reckless murderer as her husband tells her he wants to leave. Throughout the narrative a prominent example of dramatic irony is when the policemen eat the leg of lamb. " ‘That's why the weapon should be easy to find.’
Betrayal and False Stereotypes in “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl “When people rely on surface appearances and false stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of heart, mind, and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” – James. A. Forbes. As Forbes states, when “people rely on surface appearances” and do not look beyond, they often times fail to realize how deceiving looks can be. In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, Mrs. Maloney uses her image as leverage to get away with the murder of her husband. Throughout the story, Mrs. Maloney betrays multiple people after being betrayed by her own husband.
