How it Feels to be Colored Me
by Zora Neale Hurston

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How it Feels to be Colored Me: Irony 2 key examples

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 How it Feels to be Colored Me

Irony
Explanation and Analysis—The Welcomer :

Hurston employs verbal irony in "How it Feels to be Colored Me" when recalling her childhood memories of interacting with northern White tourists passing through Eatonville: 

It is clear that I was the first “welcome-to-our-state” Floridian, and I hope the Miami Chamber of Commerce will please take notice.

Explanation and Analysis—The Operation :

To illustrate her frustration at being constantly reminded of her genealogical ties to slavery, Hurston uses verbal irony when discussing the legacy of the Civil War: 

Slavery is sixty years in the past. The operation was successful and the patient is doing well, thank you. 

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