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Definition of Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging outside and someone remarks "what... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean... read full definition
Key Examples in Cathedral
Verbal Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Let Us Pray:
When the narrator, his wife, and his wife’s friend Robert all sit down for a meal together, the narrator uses verbal irony, as seen in the following passage:
When we sat down to the table for dinner we had another drink. My wife heaped Robert’s plate with cube steak, scalloped potatoes, green beans. […] I swallowed some of my drink. “Now let us pray,” I said, and the blind man lowered his head. My wife looked at me, her mouth agape. “Pray the phone won’t ring and the food doesn’t get cold,” I said.
Related Themes:
