Irony

Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. To say one thing but mean another is the simplest form of irony. There are three different types of irony. verbal , dramatic , and situational.

I find the poem "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson , to be very ironic. In the poem Richard was made to be loved and well respected in his town. People would admire him as he entered town. Even the towns people had wished to trade places with him. He was rich , royal and well educated.

And he was rich--yes, richer than a king--
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

"The Gift of the Magi" a short story by O. Henry, is a story about a young couple who are very much in love with each other but can barely afford their one-room apartment. For Christmas, they each make a sacrifice to purchase a gift for the other. The result are very ironic. Della, the female, had long beautiful hair.

"So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her"

"One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's."

"Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride."

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold it because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present.

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped for long in a Broadway window.

"The White House was built by crews of black laborers—both slave and free."

"Today, more than 200 years later, Barack Obama's family making the White House their home is a powerful symbol of change for Americans of all races."