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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
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Colonialism:
For any reader aware of the often violent history of European colonialism, Things Fall Apart is a novel that hinges on tragic, dramatic irony. When the people of Umuofia and Mbanta first encounter White people, they are unaware of the violence their people will face at the hands of colonial empires. Readers, however, remain painfully aware of this future violence throughout the novel. When certain characters disregard Christian evangelism as harmless, the reader can only spectate in agony, armed with foreknowledge of the harm some Christian missionaries dealt to indigenous communities and religions.
Chapter 23
Explanation and Analysis—Treatment in Captivity:
In Chapter 23, Achebe utilizes situational irony as a device to shed light on the White colonizers' duplicity:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[The District Commissioner] told the court messengers, when he left the guardroom, to treat the men with respect because they were the leaders of Umuofia. They said, 'Yes, sir,' and saluted. . . . The six men ate nothing throughout that day and the next. They were not even given any water to drink, and they could not go out to urinate . . . .
Related Themes:
