English 10 Unit 6 Irony Review

"Letter from a West Texas Constituent" by J.B. Lee, Jr.

- Persuasive verbal irony

Give an example of allusion from Thurber's essay "The Day the Dam Broke."

- Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "was telling the Public Utilities in the language of Julius Caesar that they might as well try to move the Northern star as to move him." - My Life and Hard Times by Hames Thurber: "we were all as safe as kittens under a cookstove did not assuage."

"A Germ Destroyer" by Rudyard Kipling

- Situational and dramatic irony

"At the Aquarium" by Max Eastman

- Situational irony

"Earth" by John Hall Wheelock

- Situational irony

"The Golf Links Lie So Near the Mill" by Sarah N. Cleghorn

- Situational irony

The Grave Grass Quivers by Mackinlay Kantor

- Situational irony

"Yet If His Majesty, Our Sovereign Lord" by Anonymous

- Situational irony - Like the innkeeper, there are times in our life where we set other priorities in our life first instead of giving God the respect and adoration he deserves. We would give more respect to an earthly king than we would the savior of the world.

"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis

- Structural irony

"Jade Flower Palace" by Tu Fu

- There was former beauty and a vibrant life but now there are ruins = situational irony - "Who can say what the years will bring" = verbal irony/foreshadowing

"Scylla Toothless" by Anonymous

- Verbal and situational irony - Sarcasm

"A Considerable Speck (Microscopic)" by Robert Frost

- Verbal irony

"The Day the Dam Broke" by James Thurber

- Verbal irony

Give an example of foreshadowing from "The Grave Grass Quivers."

- When Eli Goble came back from the military and he suddenly became rich - In the beginning, he says "Murdered." which is a flash-forward of the story. - Eli Goble helps

Oxymoron

A contradiction of terms

Dramatic Irony

A contrast between what characters in a work know and what the reader of audience knows

Irony

A contrast between what is expected and what really happens or exists

Situational Irony

A contrast of what is reasonable to expect and what actually happens

Understatement

A statement that assess something by denying its contrary

Paradox

A statement that is a seeming contradiction

Pun

Ambiguous irony that is usually humorous but can be taken seriously

The speakers of "Jade Flower Palace" and "At the Aquarium" both observe certain ironies about human life. Contrast the tone of these observations. How does this tonal difference affect the theme of each poem?

Both poems talk about the uncertainty of man's life. In "Jade Flower Palace," the tone is more reflective and gentle. This shows in the theme as gentle mourning for the uncertain future of humans. However, in "At the Aquarium," the tone is more hopeless and detached. The poem's theme is that the uncertainty of life means man has no purpose. His matter-of-fact tone seems much more bleak and hopeless than the sadness of Tu Fu's speaker.

How do Cleghorn's and Tu Fu's poems differ in tone?

Cleghorn's poem is corrective while Tu Fu's is more reflective/subtle

Satire

Corrective ridicule in literature that is usually mockery

How does the tone of the speaker in "Earth" reinforce the message of the poem?

Creates humor and distance so that the reader isn't offended but let's the reader think through the message and gets the point through

Verbal Irony

Language that means something other than what it states

What is the real message of "Letter from a West Texas Constituent"?

Lee asserts through ironic implication that government farm subsidies are wasteful and, to him, inherently nonsensical. He wants the congressman to abolish them.

How does Lewis's choice of narrator affect the tone and message of his work? Support your answer with examples from the text.

Lewis's choice of a demon as a narrator affects the tone and message in many ways. It allows for subtle satire. Screwtape is able to mock the way of Christians which allows us to see how we fall prey to temptation and prompts us to examine ourselves. Secondly, it emphasizes the importance of Lewis's message. Seeing Screwtape and his thoughts should make us want to examine our spiritual condition. It also makes a point to show God's wonderful nature. Because Screwtape does not understand love and is selfish, it emphasizes how God's love for us is out of our grasp. Lastly, it allows for humor hope and humor. Screwtape's struggle to understand what is obvious to us as God's love at times provides humor.

What kind of imaginative comparison does Tu Fu use in the following lines from his poem: "Ten thousand organs/Pipes whistle and roar?"

Onomatopoeia

What kind of imaginative comparison does Frost use throughout "A Considerable Speck (Microscopic)" in order to characterize the bug he describes?

Personification

Screwtape refers to "that abominable advantage of the Enemy." In context, what is he alluding to? What Scripture passage is this allusion built on?

Screwtape is alluding to how Jesus Christ is both man and God and that is the advantage of the Enemy. Hebrews 2:14-18

What type of irony does Goble's gift to the community exemplify within the story? Expain.

Situational irony; the land he donated to cover up the murders ended up leading to his discovery as the murder; trying to cover his action, but by giving it uncovers his actions.

Describe the main irony of Eastman's poem, "At the Aquarium." What type of irony does it exemplify?

The fish were observing the people when we usually go to the aquarium to watch the fish; situational irony

Explain Lewis's concept of the law of undulation. Contrast how God and Satan use this process in people's lives. Illustrate your point with examples from the Bible.

The law of undulation is the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks. God uses the troughs and peaks to demonstrate lessons of His grace and mercy and bring you closer to him. Satan uses the troughs to lie to us and lure us to Him and away from God.

Hyperbole

The pretended meaning differs from the real meaning only in degree

For what purpose did Cleghorn write "The Golf Links Lie So Near the Mill?"

To spark anger/indignation and show the situational irony of men playing while children work

Identify the type of irony Frost displays in the final two lines of the poem. Explain.

Verbal irony; he's saying that he has read things written by humans who are supposed to be intelligent but they are not as intelligent as the mite who is just a speck

The anonymous writer of "Scylla Toothless" uses what type of irony to convey his message?

Verbal irony; she talked so much that she wore her teeth away and no one takes her seriously; "But that her tongue hath worn her teeth away."

Sarcasm

When verbal irony takes the form of mock praise

Does the resolution of "The Grave Grass Quivers" conform to a biblical worldview of sin and its consequences? Explain.

Yes; nothing escapes God's sight just as Goble could not escape the consequences of his murder no matter how much he wanted to hide it. Luke 8:17 "For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light."

Does The Screwtape Letters qualify as a satire? Why or why not?

Yes; the devil is mocking God and the way of Christians; Lewis uses wit, irony and sarcasm to educate Christians of the wiles of the devil in hope that Christians will make choices necessary and will not fall prey to the devil