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Unreliable Narrator
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
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—Free Will:
In Chapter 7, Offred describes her nighttime routine and thoughts to the viewer, depicting this time as the only truly free time she possesses. Her freedom comes with conditions, however—such strict conditions, in fact, that it might as well not be freedom at all. Offred uses verbal irony to convey her simultaneous frustration and gratitude for this evening time:
The night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet. As long as I don't move. As long as I lie still. The difference between lie and lay. Lay is always passive.
Related Themes:
