In the poem “The Poetry Lesson” by Don Maclennan an ironic mood emerges. The poem is about an English poetry lecturer. He expresses his views and feelings on his lessons, how he might have impacted on the lives, altered the views and the challenges he has given his students. He states what he expects from his students. It is interesting to note that Don Maclennan is in fact a South African English poetry lecturer. I thus assume that this poem is a reflection on how he views himself and his students. I intend to give a detailed analysis of the poem, by defining the type of irony that occurs in the poem and commenting on the use of irony and the nature of the poems commentary on itself. I will give my interpretation of each stanza of the poem and indicate where the irony of a given situation is.
Irony as The New International Webster’s Pocket Dictionary describes it is:
A paradox between what happens and what does or might be expected to happen; a literary style often used to mock or satirize convention.
(NIWPD 2002: 247)
The predominant form of irony in the poem is situational irony, which John Dury defined as:
A discrepancy between appearance or likelihood and an actual reality. (Dury 1995: 140)
M.H. Abrams terms this type as structural irony, which is defined as:
The author, instead of using occasional verbal irony, introduces a structural feature that serves to sustain a duplex meaning and evaluation throughout the work. (Abrams 2005: 135)
Both these definitions are accurate in describing the type of irony that is present in the poem. This will be discussed in the subsequent paragraphs.
Upon completion of reading the poem The Poetry Lesson, it can be said the title of the poem can be construed to be ironic. As this is a poem about a poetry lesson, I assume the poet will talk about a poetry lesson where he is analysing a...
... middle of paper ...
...essage across. He does this by drawing on his own life experiences. It would seem that this is what Maclennan wanted the readers of his poem to do.
Word Count: 1 301
Bibliography:
Macclenan, Don. 1995. “The Poetry Lesson”. In: Clarkson, C. Mkhize, J. MacKenzie, C. Mnqadi, S. 2005. Anthology of Poetry and Short Stories. University of Johannesburg: Content Solutions. pp. 51-53.
Abrams, M.H. 1999. Irony “A Glossary of Literary Terms/Seventh” Boston: MacPeek, Earl.
Dury, John. 1995. “The Poetry Dictionary.” United States of America: Story Press.
2002: The New International Webster’s Pocket Dictionary: Quebecor World Peru. Trident Press International.
Van Heerden, J-M. 2005. “How to Write a Critical Examination of a Literary Work: English 1A”. Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg, February.
Irony is the expression of ones meaning by using language that usually signifies the opposite. There are three different types of irony; verbal, dramatic, and situational. Edgar Allen Poe uses verbal and dramatic irony in The Cask of Amontillado to depict a deeper meaning of Montresor’s hate towards Fortunato.
Poetry is something that is to be read delicately and cautiously if one wanted to find meaning through the words. Readers have to be gentle and patiently ponder about what they are reading in order to find any significance in the poem. If someone is not patient with reading, they will not feel impacted by poetry and will not want to read it. In Billy Collins’, “Introduction to Poetry,” he uses figurative language to help readers see that the way to enjoy and understand poetry is by reading between the lines and being patient with how each individual relates to the readings.
Irony is defined as the contrast between what is said and what is meant or what happens and what we feel should happen. There are three main types of irony. Verbal irony is when what is said is the opposite of what is meant, as in sarcasm. Situational irony is when an event is the opposite of what would ordinarily occur. Dramatic irony is when the reader or audience knows something that the characters do not know. There are many examples of all three types of irony in The Most Dangerous Game and The Cask of Amontillado.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "dramatic irony (literature)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .
Unlike the rest of the poem, these final lines are not ironicthey are serious and sad. But the impact of the plain and simple conclusion is much more effective because of its contrast with the ironic tone which precedes it.
Their passivity in the first paragraph serves as an introduction to convey a duller environment, which is frustratingly boring to the children. The inanimacy of the classroom is demonstrated through stoic diction in words such as “droned” and “stones behind glass” when describing the teacher. The first 8 lines describe a longing for the outside, “past Miss Willow Bangs, and lessons, and windows”, and while it is resentful of the classroom, it is more optimistic for the outside. In order to further reveal the students’ true emotions, lines 9-15 shifts the focus back to the inside of the classroom with growing resentment towards the teacher, as the diction becomes increasingly accusatory with words and phrases such as “suffered” and “angry to be held so”. Thus, the tone shift between stanzas 1 and 2 transitions into a more suffocating environment, as “leaves thickened” and “birds called”. Their imagination in the first stanza describes daydreaming for the outside, while the second stanza dreams of “murder” and “mutiny” with a more angry than resentful attitude. Oliver’s diction is used to draw parallels between jail and the classroom, as they were “captives” looking towards their “three o’clock
Another example of irony is when Leonce comes back from his night of enjoyment and tries to wake Enda up to be his audience. Leonce gets annoyed when she does not give him her attention and here the voice of the story refers to Edna as him “sole object of his existence”. “He thought it very dis...
...y. If we haste in casting the inability of children to understand adults as proof of inferiority, why then do we hesitate to do the same when adults cannot understand their children? This paper does not seek to deny the obvious differences in cognitive ability between adults and young children, but it nevertheless seeks to highlight the problems and perils of rushing to make judgements about the ability of others to comprehend irony especially when irony itself is already so problematic in nature.
On the surface the poem seems to be a meditation on past events and actions, a contemplative reflection about what has gone on before. Research into the poem informs us that the poem is written with a sense of irony
Finally, irony of Fate is used. This is when a result defeats the purpose of an
Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc, 2001. 123-154.
The poem describes Richard Corey as a young, handsome, and fit gentlemen in the town. He was believed to be superior to most gentlemen in town and walked as the perfect man. However in the end of the poem he commits suicide. “One calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head” (line 16) is a perfect example of verbal irony. In this point of the poem the reader must be shocked by what has occurred. The verbal irony is presented when the poet mentions the act of suicide. In the beginning he is a description of perfectibility, but towards the end he commits suicide. The irony here is how does a man commit suicide with a perfect
In contemporary literary culture there is a widespread belief, or feeling, that ironies and paradoxes are closely akin. This is due in part to the huge importance that is given to the use of language in contemporary descriptions and estimations of literature. Ironies and paradoxes seem to reflect and embody the sorts of linguistic rebellion, innovation, deviation, and play, that have throughout this century become the dominant criteria of literary value.
Irony is an effective way for a poem, playwright or author to lighten an otherwise dark or cryptic story while simultaneously putting emphasis the story’s dark elements; in its obvious absence, the darkness of the story becomes more apparent. This is effective in many poems, such “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe, which is about the death of a childhood lover. The persona, assumed to be male, highlights the youth of the his lover, Annabel Lee, referring to her as “this maiden” (Poe line 3) and “a child” (line 7) to underline the fact that she died too young and too soon. He blames this on the angels, who “coveted” (line 12) them and their love. Poe uses irony to contrast, and, therefore, puts emphasis on, the negative circumstances surrounding Annabel Lee’s death by retelling the events in an idyllic tone. Poe’s irony is successful due to his employment of diction and rhyme, which cause the poem to emulate the sing-song style of a nursery rhyme.
In the book Hamlet by Shakespeare, irony is used numerous times in order to give the reader insight on what is going on. As stated in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, irony is an action that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. If this strategy were not included in this drama, it would take away the whole purpose. This play would consist of no suspense and would be extremely boring to the reader because the characters would know as much as the readers know. This allows for incite to what can happen in the future or what has happened in the past. The irony in this play ultimately revolves around Hamlet and his plan to achieve revenge with Claudius. From the play that Hamlet organizes about the death of his father to the ending where Fortinbras happened to be at the right place at the right time to take over the throne in Denmark; this paper examines the cases in where irony is used to show how Hamlet is preventing his murderer uncle from getting away with his fathers death.