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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
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—The Burning of the House:
In a tragic example of situational irony, the child delights in the sight of a random house that has caught fire, only to realize later that it is his family’s home that is burning down with his family inside. While the child initially “danced with glee in imitation of the wavering flames” and even threw his toy sword into the fire to add to its strength, he begins to notice some familiar aspects of the setting:
Shifting his position, his eyes fell upon some outbuildings which had an oddly familiar appearance, as if he had dreamed of them. He stood considering them with wonder, when suddenly the entire plantation, with its inclosing forest, seemed to turn as if upon a pivot. His little world swung half around; the points of the compass were reversed. He recognized the blazing building as his own home!
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