Irony

My Antonia

by Willa Cather

My Antonia: Irony 1 key example

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
Book 1, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Immigrant Families:

Cather uses dramatic irony in Book 1, Chapter 1 when the young Jim Burden first encounters the Shimerda family, who are immigrants from Bohemia. When they arrive in Nebraska and are standing on the train station platform, Jim observes that:

In the red glow from the fire-box, a group of people stood huddled together on the platform, encumbered by bundles and boxes. I knew this must be the immigrant family the conductor had told us about.

Book 1, Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—Immigrant Families:

Cather uses dramatic irony in Book 1, Chapter 1 when the young Jim Burden first encounters the Shimerda family, who are immigrants from Bohemia. When they arrive in Nebraska and are standing on the train station platform, Jim observes that:

In the red glow from the fire-box, a group of people stood huddled together on the platform, encumbered by bundles and boxes. I knew this must be the immigrant family the conductor had told us about.

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