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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
Key Examples in The Secret Life of Bees
Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—How Special:
Kidd often employs hyperbole along with verbal and situational irony to show how Lily shaped her identity around her pain as a child. In this passage, Lily reflects on her past and how she exaggerated her suffering to place herself at the center of her own story:
In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling I was exceptional. I was the girl abandoned by her mother. I was the girl who kneeled on grits. What a special case I was.
Related Themes:
