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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
Key Examples in The Longest Memory
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Sanders Junior and Chapel:
Sanders Junior whipping Chapel to death is an instance of situational irony. Although Sanders Junior is initially unaware of the irony, as is the reader, Whitechapel is well aware of the fact that Sanders Junior and Chapel have the same father. In fact, Chapel was the product of Sanders Senior raping Cook, whom Whitechapel married soon after.
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Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Ironic Obedience:
Whitechapel's overarching attitude towards slavery is ironic. Although Whitechapel ends the novel disagreeing with his past self, for much of the story he preaches obedience to his family and to the other enslaved people. He urges them to listen to their enslavers and even cooperates with Mr. Whitechapel by giving away Chapel's location after Chapel's escape. Whitechapel's alignment with his own enslavers is situationally ironic in a rather tragic way, as the worldview he endorses is the very worldview that impedes upon his own life.
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