Irony can take lots of different forms: sarcasm, reversal of fortune, wearing white after Labor Day. I love the Oatmeal's take on irony.
In that comic, Matt Inman mentions one of the most frustrating (and yet oh-so-catchy) takes on irony of the last 20 years or so:
In her video, Alanis Morissette alludes...sort of... to one kind of irony--cosmic irony, or what we might call "God's little joke." When Morissette sings about "rain on your wedding day" or a "free ride when you've already paid," she's not exactly talking about irony as the destruction of expectations, as we've discussed in class. Instead, she's suggesting that sometimes, life is just a bummer, and fate (or the divine, or whatever higher power there might be) conspires against us. Or maybe she ironically isn't actually talking about irony at all--as John Winokur suggests.
For this week's post--due Monday by class time--I'd like to hear your thoughts about why Marge Piercy, in her poem "Barbie Doll," and Nadine Gordimer, in her short story, "Once Upon a Time," use irony in their respective texts. Select ONE of the texts, preferably one you haven't already blogged about, and consider why the author chooses irony as a primary tool to get across her main idea, rather than, say, direct narration. Using the Oatmeal's take on irony, as well as this definition of irony identify the kind(s) of irony used in the text, and discuss why irony is such a useful tool in conveying the big-picture idea in this text.
I look forward to reading your posts!
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