Literature Chapter 6: Irony
Author of “The Golf Links Lie So Near the Mill”
Anonymous
Author of “Earth”
John Hall Wheelock
Author of “A Special Occasion”
Joyce Cary
Author of “A Considerable Speck”
Robert Frost
Author of “Letter from a West Texas Constituent”
J. B. Lee Jr.
Author of “Scylla Toothless”
Anonymous
Author of “At the Aquarium”
Max Eastman
Author of “A Germ Destroyer”
Rudyard Kipling
Author of “The Grave Grass Quivers”
Mackinlay Kantor
Author of “Yet if His Majesty”
Anonymous
Theme: Children working, men playing
“The Golf Links Lie So Near the Mill”
Theme: Human intelligence does not guarantee common sense or virtue
“Earth”
Theme: Misunderstood children
“A Special Occasion”
Theme: Sarcasm about “not raising hogs”
“Letter from a West Texas Constituent”
Theme: Something so small can show more intelligence than man can sometimes
“A Considerable Speck”
Theme: Gossip is hurtful
“Scylla Toothless”
Theme: Truth is found in the seemingly contradictory humans, when viewed with detachment, are not all different from the animals they pay to see
“At the Aquarium”
Theme: Small mistakes cause great confusion
“A Germ Destroyer”
Theme: Past actions will always be found out
“The Grave Grass Quivers”
Theme: If we would prepare for an earthly king, why not prepare for God? *Biblical allusion to Christ’s birth*
“Yet if His Majesty”
Influenced by Spinoza (author)
John Hall Wheelock
Raised by patient adults; wrote about misunderstood children (author)
Joyce Cary
Fictitious, naive speaker (author)
J. B. Lee Jr.
New England’s “poetic bard” and Americas unofficial poet laureate (author)
Robert Frost
Rejected the religion of feminist mother and family to be influenced by John Dewey and become a pagan (author)
Max Eastman
Wrote stories about India (author)
Rudyard Kipling
Wrote about the values of small town life in America and traditional American hopes and dreams (author)
Mackinlay Kantor
contrast between what is reasonable to expect and what actually happens
situational irony
the reader is aware of the contrast between what is reasonable to expect and what actually happens but the character is ignorant
dramatic irony
language that means other than what it states
verbal irony
words identical in sound with different meaning
pun
corrective ridicule
satire
verbal irony throughout a work
structural irony
exaggerated account of a phenomenon
hyperbole
saying less than what you mean
understatement
verbal irony that is mock praise
sarcasm
prophetic irony
foreshadowing
conducted routinely, with little care or interest
perfunctory
severe paleness
pallor
harsh, disorderly
raucous
occurring randomly
desultory
lack
want
wall-hung candleholder
sconce
candles
tapers
unnecessary and therefore unwise
inexpedient
“gazing off into the air” (quote)
“Earth”
“He was suffering from a large and complicated grievance” (quote)
“A Special Occasion”
“No one can know how glad I am to find/on any sheet the least display of mind” (quote)
“A Considerable Speck”
“But her tongue hath wrong her teeth away” (quote)
“Scylla Toothless”
“But his guest did not bore the viceroy” (quote)
“A Germ Destroyer”
“Shovel struck something” and “Murdered” (quote)
“The Grave Grass Quivers”
