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Situational Irony In The Gift Of The Magi

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Situational irony is when actions in a story have the opposite effect of what was intended. Many great novels and short stories use situational irony to set the tone or theme of the plot. There are many similarities and differences between “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry in the use of irony. For example, in “The Cask of Amontillado”, situational, verbal, and dramatic irony are demonstrated to show how Montresor gets revenge on Fortunato. However, only situational irony is used in “The Gift of the Magi”. In “ The Cask of Amontillado”, situational irony is displayed when there is a party upstairs, which shows celebration and fun, but Fortunato is being buried alive in the vaults, ultimately …show more content…

Moreover, situational irony is being used similarly because it is showing how the opposite is happening of what was intended. The situational irony in “The Gift of the Magi” sets the theme of loving someone so much they are willing to sacrifice something to make them happy and an overall emotional yet happy tone. An example of their sacrifice for each other was, “Something fine and rare and sterling- something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim” (Henry 204). For instance, Della tells Jim how much she loves him when they realize that they both gave up something they love for one another, “... but nobody could ever count my love for your” ( 206). “The Cask of Amontillado” uses situational irony to further show how revenge can destroy lives, happiness, and relationships, which is the theme of the story, “... to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.” (234). Situational irony is utilized to support the theme in both of the short stories, but are used to contrast different

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In “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe uses verbal irony to emphasize the evil intentions of Montresor. Poe uses several instances of irony to demonstrate that Forntunato’s death is imminent and Montresor knows all along. One example of irony being used is when Fortunato says “the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough. ”(119)

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Situational irony is irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected. dramatic irony is used a lot within books, plays, and movies. It is when the audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not aware of. Within this paper, I will demonstrate on how Ray Bradbury utilizes irony within the novel Fahrenheit 451. First example of situational irony would most likely be with the firefighters in this novel.

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In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “Cask of Amontillado”, Poe skillfully uses verbal irony in order to demonstrate the villainous intentions of Montresor. The first example of verbal irony is when Fortunato, the victim, toasts “to the buried that repose” and Montresor, the murderer, “And I to your long life”(page 119). By now the reader is beginning to understand. Montresor's murderous intentions by Poe’s verbally ironic statements about life and death. Another, example of verbal irony is the play of the word “masons”.

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958 Words | 4 Pages

In the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, there are countless examples of irony to convey Montresor’s unlawful act, while applying an additional layer of irony to sabotage his revenge. An example of situational irony Poe uses in the story is simply the name Fortunato. Fortunato is an Italian name that means good fortune or luck. This is an example of situational irony because his name means the complete opposite of what he actually was.

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849 Words | 4 Pages

“The information you get from social media is not a substitute for academic discipline at all. “In literature there are multiple types of irony like situational, dramatic and verbal. But in the story The Cask of Amontillado they use all 3 types of irony to foreshadow death and in the Ransom of Red Chief they use irony to create humor with all 3 types of irony. Though there are some similarities, O. Henry and Edgar Allan Poe use 3 types of irony in Ransom of Red Chief and The Cask of Amontillado just differently.

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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.

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For example O Henry uses situational irony in his short story “ The Ransom of Redchief” to give the story a humorous feeling to the story and readers. While Guy de Maupassant expressed a feeling of sympathy in his short story “The Necklace”. By inspecting the both of the stories, it

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Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” is the narrative of a man named Montresor who seeks vengeance against a man named Fortunato. Fortunato insults Montresor. Next, Montresor meet Fortunato at a carnival, eventually luring him into the catacombs of his home to bury Fortunato alive. Moreover, different types of irony are portrayed in this short story. Dramatic irony consists of the character in the story knowing less about his or her situation than the reader.

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471 Words | 2 Pages

There are three different types of irony: situational, verbal, and dramatic. These types of irony are presented in The Cask of Amontillado written by Edgar Allen Poe and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The stories share similar ironies, but they also differentiate with each other. The Cask of Amontillado and Young Goodman Brown both consist of irony that is spread throughout the story. Situational irony is when a situation turns out differently than expected.

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Authors often manipulate the emotions of their readers through their writing. Situational irony is a device frequently used that creates the feeling of surprise by providing the story with an unexpected twist that catches the reader off guard. Along with surprise, situational irony can also create other emotions. For example, O. Henry uses situational irony in his short story “Ransom of Red Chief” to create the feeling of humor. Likewise, Guy de Maupassant uses situational irony in his short story “The Necklace” to create a feeling of sympathy.

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So although Fortunato believes he will ultimately reach a cask of wine, he actually meets his casket. In conclusion, in the story of ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ by Edgar Allen Poe, Poe uses irony and foreshadowing throughout the story to allow the reader inside knowledge on what is about to happen. Throughout the story examples of verbal, dramatic, and situational irony can be found easily and help with foreshadowing for what is going to happen. Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allen.

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Edgar Allan Poe creates horror and suspense in his use of irony -including verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony-in his short story “ The Tell-Tale Heart”. Verbal irony is when something that is said means the opposite of what is meant. Poe uses verbal irony when he states, “ I loved the old man.” Situational irony is similar. It is defined as when what happens is different from or even the opposite of what we expected.

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Irony may appear in difference ways within literature. Irony changes our expectations of what might happen. It can create the unexpected twist at the end of a story or anecdote that gets people laughing or crying. Verbal irony is intended to be a humorous type of irony. Situational irony can be either funny or tragic.

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“The Use of Irony in "The Cask of Amontillado" Edgar Allan Poe is a phenomenal writer and makes many points in his writings. There are three different ways in Poe 's writing of "The Cask of Amontillado" that irony is used: verbal, situational and dramatic. Verbal irony can be seen when Montresor first sees Fortunato at the carnival. Situational irony is also used and can be seen between the meaning of Fortunato 's name and his destiny, as well as Montresor 's response to his own. The last way irony is used is dramatic irony, this can be seen by any reader, this occurs when Montresor tells Fortunato he is also a mason.

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In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” irony is applied throughout to help foreshadow future and give more of an insight to the readers, all while adding some humor. Irony is divided into three main types: dramatic, situational, and verbal. Poe uses dramatic irony when he has Fortunato dress as a jester, “a tight-fitting parti-striped dress and his was surmounted by the conical cap and bells” (Poe). The get-up makes Fortunato looks foolish and foreshadows his actions of following Montresor into the catacombs to taste some wine. Montresor even compliments the outfit and says “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met” (Poe), but it was not Fortunato who was in luck, but Montresor who would gain profit of their meeting.

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