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Definition of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given... read full definition
Dramatic irony is a plot device often used in theater, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a... read full definition
Part 1: Effia
Explanation and Analysis—Bloodless Demon:
Dramatic irony alters the course of Effia’s life as the end of her courtship with Abeeku Badu draws near. Cobbe—desperate to marry her to the village chef—asks Baaba whether his daughter is ready. His wife responds:
Yes, but Abeeku cannot marry her until her blood comes, and we have been waiting years now. I tell you, husband, I think she was cursed in that fire, a demon who will never become a woman. Think about it. What creature is that beautiful but cannot be touched? All of the signs of womanhood are there, and yet, still, nothing. The white man will marry her regardless. He does not know what she is.
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Part 1: Esi
Explanation and Analysis—Training a Slave:
Esi witnesses a moment of situational irony when Big Man punishes Abronoma for her clumsiness. The village beauty watches as the slave girl—who has spilled oil and failed to tell good stories—patiently awaits her doom:
Unlock with LitCharts A+They were all outside, basking under the warm midday sun. Big Man tilted his head back and let out a laugh that rumbled like thunder in the rainy season. "Take her back where? Odo, there's only one way to train a slave." He turned to Esi, who was trying to climb a palm tree the way she'd seen the other kids do it, but her arms were too small to reach around. "Esi, go and get me my switch."
Related Themes:
Part 1: Abena
Explanation and Analysis—Probably Royal, Too:
Abena stumbles into dramatic irony during her visit to the heart of the Asante kingdom. After she and Ohene Nyarko pass an old man who mistakes her for James, her traveling partner jokes about her potential “royal ancestry”:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Once he had gone, Ohene Nyarko pushed Abena along, out of the gates, until they were firmly back in the bustle of the city. "That old man was probably half-blind," he muttered, steering Abena by the elbow.
"Shhh," Abena said, though there was no way the man could still hear them. "That man is probably a royal."
And Ohene Nyarko snorted. "If he is a royal, then you are a royal too," he said, laughing boisterously.
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