All 6 Uses
irony
in
Into the Wild
(Edited)
- It didn't occur to me that the hiker might be Chris. ... It's ironic because when I read the article I thought, 'Oh, my God, what a terrible tragedy.'
p. 101.6ironic = when what happens is very different than what might be expected
- Her son, the teenage Tolstoyan, believed that wealth was shameful, corrupting, inherently evil, which is ironic because Chris was a natural-born capitalist with an uncanny knack for making a buck.
p. 115.8
- That his foolproof life plan had in the end transported him here, to this nightmarish station, was an irony that brought me no pleasure and escaped his notice altogether.
p. 150.1irony = when what happened was very different than what might have been expected
- There was another irony he failed to appreciate: His struggle to mold me in his image had been successful after all.
p. 150.1
- Ironically, the wilderness surrounding the bus, the patch of overgrown country where McCandless was determined "to become lost in the wild", scarcely qualifies as wilderness by Alaska standards.
p. 165.4ironically = when what happens is very different than what might be expected
- McCandless's apparent salvation, in other words, seemed to be only a three-hour walk upriver. This sad irony was widely noted in the aftermath of his death.
p. 196.4 *irony = knowledge that what happened was very different that what might have been expected
Definitions:
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(1)
(irony as in: situational irony) when what happens is very different than what might be expected; or when things are together that seem like they don't belong together -- especially when amusing or an entertaining coincidenceThis is sometimes referred to as "situational irony." The term is especially appropriate when actions have consequences opposite to those intended.
The expression ironic smile, generally references someone smiling at situational irony.
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they might seem. -
(2)
(irony as in: verbal irony) saying one thing, while meaning the opposite or something else -- usually as humor or sarcasmThis is sometimes referred to as "verbal irony." Typically, the speaker says one thing but means the opposite, and the tone of voice or the context of the situation makes the true, contradictory meaning clear.
All forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they might seem. -
(3)
(irony as in: dramatic irony) When the meaning of a situation is understood by one person, but not by another—especially when a reader or audience knows what characters of a story do not, as in Romeo and JulietAll forms of irony involve the perception that things are not what they are said to be or what they seem.
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(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Less commonly, Socratic irony is where someone pretends ignorance to get another to think through a problem. This is named after the Socratic method of teaching.
Less commonly still, some also refer to romantic irony as when an author reminds the audience that the fictional words is the author's creation and will play out as the author desires.