Can you imagine a pretty, smart, and blond woman living in a dirty basement? Where there is a possibility that a caveman can be living there? Can you imagine a pretty woman and caveman having something in common? In the short story, “The Cavemen in the Hedges,” the author Stacey Richter tells a story about a couple that has difficulties in their relationship. The narrator doesn't want to be in a serious committed relationship. His girlfriend Kim starts to spend most of her time in the basement because the narrator is not giving her the affection and attention she wants. The narrator has no idea why, his girlfriend of 10 years, is spending most of her time in the basement. Therefore, he thinks Kim is a having an affair with a impure caveman in their basement. So …show more content…
Since his efforts do not work, his girlfriend leaves him to be happier with the caveman. This story is composed of different language elements such as: irony, symbolism, and allusions.
Irony is a form of figurative language that is composed to explain the meaning of a story. There are four types of irony such as: situational, dramatic,verbal, and poetic justice. In the story “The Cavemen in the Hedges” the author includes examples of these four forms of irony. First, an important example of irony in the story is dramatic. In the story the audience is aware of the situation, but the narrator has no idea that his girlfriend is having an affair with cavemen. Since the narrator has no idea of the affair this is a form of dramatic irony (Richter 541). Another example of irony in the story is situational. The narrator and his girlfriend Kim show an example of role reversal. This role reversal is situational irony because the reader would not expect the couple to act the opposite. For example, the narrator states, “She doesn't listen when I talk to her and eats standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open, yelling between bites that it's time for me to go to
Then final example on irony is how Old Lucynell informs Shiftlet she never wants to leave her daughter. In the end of the story, Old and Young Lucynell part ways and Old Lucynell hopes her daughter’s meaning in life has some importance. Shiftlet, however; leaves her at the Hotspot and doesn’t fulfill Old Lucynell’s goal for Young
Edgar Allan Poe creates horror and suspense in his use of irony -including verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony-in his short story “ The Tell-Tale Heart”. Verbal irony is when something that is said means the opposite of what is meant. Poe uses verbal irony when he states, “ I loved the old man.” Situational irony is similar. It is defined as when what happens is different from or even the opposite of what we expected.
Irony is the most powerful literary device used in the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. First, a good example of irony in the story is “They were burdened with sashweights sand bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in.” (P,2 Line, 11-13) This quote is Ironic as it tells how this system was designed to hide beauty, yet beauty was still shown by the amount of restraints on the person. Second, another good example of irony is, “The spectacles were intended to make him not only half-blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides.
Irony may appear in difference ways within literature. Irony changes our expectations of what might happen. It can create the unexpected twist at the end of a story or anecdote that gets people laughing or crying. Verbal irony is intended to be a humorous type of irony. Situational irony can be either funny or tragic.
You wouldn’t expect the sweetest and most trustworthy guy in town to go out and start committing terrible acts, would you? That is an example of situational irony because it is demonstrating the opposite of what you would expect. In another situation, the audience already knows that Dr. Jekyll is the evil one, when the town actually thinks that it’s Mr. Hyde. This would be dramatic irony because the audience is more aware of what’s happening than most of the characters do. The third type of irony found in the movie would be when Dr. Jekyll said that “I would never hurt her”, however he is clearly aware that his evil side is the one who attacked her.
Renowned author, Raymond Carver, skillfully weaves dramatic and situational irony throughout his short stories, Cathedral, Neighbors, and They’re Not Your Husband. Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected to happen, occurs. In Cathedral, and They 're Not Your Husband situational irony is amply evident. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not. In Neighbors and They’re Not Your Husband, dramatic and situational irony are both utilized.
In writing, there are multiple types of irony. One type is verbal irony, when the character says something, but means the opposite. This is commonly recognized as sarcasm. Second, there is situational irony, where the outcome is the opposite of what was expected to happen. Last, there is dramatic irony, where the audience is told or informed of something that the characters do not yet know.
The narrator’s wife picks him up from the train station and brings him home. As she was
Federigo’s Falcon’s Irony Authors use irony to make their audience stop and think about what has just been said, excite the reader, build suspense, or to even emphasize the idea. There are three types of irony: Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic. In Federigo’s Falcon by Giovanni Boccaccio, all three types of irony are used in different ways throughout the story. For instance, a clear example of Situational Irony is at the end of short story.
Verbal irony involves a character saying one thing, and meaning another. Situational irony consists of what is expected to happen, and what actually happens. Three types of irony found in Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado”, are dramatic, verbal, and situational irony. A good example of dramatic irony occurs when Montresor explains to Fortunato that he is also a mason. Then, Fortunato asks for a sign.
The fact that the house continues to do its daily tasks without knowing the residents have perished is the overshadowing example of situational irony in the story. The fact that the house survived a nuclear fallout yet ends up being destroyed by a fire caused by a tree branch falling is a perfect example of situational irony in the story. Finally, the poem used by Ray Bradbury is ironic because it was one of Mrs. McClellan’s favorite poems and it happens to describe the present situation in the story. All of these examples of situational irony engage the reader in a very unique
Overcoming educational obstacles George Washington Carver states, “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom”. This quote rings true for many, but the path to freedom is not always pleasant. Education is vital to an individual’s success, for it unleashes a world of opportunity. The unnamed caveman in Plato's "The allegory of the Cave", Helen Keller in her autobiography "Everything has a Name", and myself have overcome similar educational obstacles.
A great example of verbal irony is when General Zaroff states that the island is “a most-restful spot”(60). Although the General tells the truth about it being a restful place, what he really meant was that sailors will rest there forever. Another presence of irony is in the beginning of the story. Rainsford was the hunter and did not care for the feelings of the animals he hunted. He ended up being the “hunted” and finally understood how they felt.
Like mentioned earlier the couch of Fortunato is also an example of dramatic irony because Fortunato thinks he will live on and that the couch won’t kill him but the reader has been informed by Montresor that he will get his revenge on him by killing him and Fortunato does not expect anything like that from Montresor. The trowel that was thought of Fortunato as a joke because he stated “you jest” and this is also an example of dramatic irony. The irony is that while he thinks it’s a joke in reality Montresor is showing him the tool that will lead to his death. While Fortunato was laughing at the trowel Montresor knew that he would you that tool to finish his
Irony can be seen throughout the story in the words and phrases of the character. The irony can create a disturbing, yet slightly humorous scene with the audience not knowing what’s coming for the characters. In the short story, The Cask Of Amontillado, irony can be seen through the conversations of the two characters, Montresor and Fortunato. Although, Montresor is the character with most literary devices. Verbal irony can be seen in the story when Montresor told the “attendees” to stay in the house while he was gone.