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Hyperbole
Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Key Examples in A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Reactions to the Angel:
The situational irony at the heart of “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is the fact that the Catholic townspeople react to the presence of an angel in their community with greed, derision, and outright cruelty. Readers might expect such a community to honor and revere the angel (no matter how old and disheveled), but, instead, the community questions, cages, and exploits him.
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Explanation and Analysis—Un-angel-like Angel:
In an example of situational irony, the angel at the center of “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” has many un-angel-like qualities. While readers might expect an angel depicted in literature to be beautiful, powerful, and wise, the angel in this story is the opposite—he is old and weary, disheveled and dirty, and unable to speak in a language that the humans with whom he is interacting can understand.
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