"Kong Yiji" is a short story written in 1919 by the Chinese writer Lu Xun, first published in April 1919 in New Youth and collected in his Call to Arms. This short story was published short before the May Fourth Movement in China, which was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement held in Beijing on May 4th, 1919. The student participants were protesting against the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles. The story depicts a destitute scholar through the eyes of an adolescent waiter at “Lu Town,” which is a small Chinese town. The author illustrates how the scholar is not able to cross the class divide through his study, and how he uses self-consolation to feel good about himself. The author uses many complexities in the story like various tones, voices and the change in points of view. However, the most powerful writing strategy he used is a very strong irony all along the whole story, which demonstrates how harmful the …show more content…
Firstly, the irony shows in other characters’ dialogue and behavior. Even the manager is so strict that he would not allow the workers to do other things during work, he allows his workers make fun of Mr. Kong “Only when Kong Yiji came into the tavern could I laugh a little” (Lu 1). However, as an intellectual scholar, it is so irony that this is the only reason Kong Yiji was remembered by people. The people in the wine shop also laugh a lot when Kong Yiji says something related to the archaism or ancient poem, they use ironic language to ask him why he had never passed the exam and became an official, they said: ““How is it that you never passed even the lowest official examination?” (2). They just want to see Kong’s ill-at-ease looking and make fun of him, while this shows the old Chinese pathway from studying to become a scholar or official is no longer respected by people, and people are laughing at the old
Another interesting factor about this story is the irony and tone in this story and how it adds toward each character.
...hese characters we better and more pure, bad things would might have not happened to them like they did. In this situation, cosmic irony is used to show how someone’s fate can be decided by the life decisions they make. It was only destiny that brought the Misfit and the family together.
Irony is something that seems to directly contradict a precedent set before it, and is seen everywhere in the world, often having dismal consequences, but it also serves to point out that there is something wrong with the current state of affairs. Briony Tallis, a character from Ian McEwan’s Atonement, is also a victim of this type of irony, as her undeveloped system of justice results in a great injustice; however, this injustice serves to improve her understanding of justice as she realizes her wrongdoings and attempts to atone for them meanwhile her life is used by McEwan to send parables to his audience that prove to enrich his novel. The exposition of Briony as a smart, but naive little girl influences her poor judgement, and helps relay
When used effectively, suspense, in short stories, is used as a way to make the reader anticipate the outcome to a problem. The short story, “The Interlopers” by Saki uses multiple examples of situational irony effectively, which is used to create a great deal of suspense. These examples of situational irony are greatly emphasized through the use of symbolism and imagery. Thus, Saki uses irony that is expressed through the symbolism of the fallen tree, and the imagery of the wilderness, in order to effectively build up suspense to make the reader anticipate what happens next in the story.
A major literary element is this story would be irony. The whole story is really ironic. The story revolves around
also the story that is implied by the author’s emotions and implications. One of the main
Some literary works exhibit structural irony, in that they show sustained irony. In such works the author, instead of using an occasional verbal irony, introduces a structural feature which serves to sustain a duplicity of meaning. One common device of this sort is the invention of a naïve hero, or else a naïve narrator or spokesman, whose invincible simplicity or obtuseness leads him to persist in putting an interpretation on affairs which the knowing reader—who penetrates to, and shares, the implicit point of view of the authorial presence behind the naïve persona—just as persistently is called on to alter and correct. (Abrams, 90)
What does it reveal about attitudes in China at this time? The effects of the movement are still adamant with the family presented in the story by trying to have the main character marry immediately once he returns home. However, the end of the story suggest a new emerging movement when the main character decides to leave the family behind and discover himself before he marries or even if he decides to
Throughout the whole short story “The Story of an Hour” the reader sees’ irony but the best usage of irony occurs toward the end of the story in the last few paragraphs. As the reader reads the story they notice that Mrs. Mallard’s husband Brently Mallard died in a railroad disaster. The reader also finds out that Mrs. Mallard has a heart trouble, and great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death. (157) There ar...
For situational irony I choose the novel or movie .”The Maze Runner.” The situational irony that happened in this story was when Alby and Minho try to examine a weird creature.They wanna bring it back to the glade where they live ,but the griever is actually alive and injuries Alby.Which it makes it difficult to go back to go to the glade.This is situational irony,because now they're trapped inside the maze with the griever with one injured person.
Dramatic irony is used through Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s return. His death had brought her such great sorrow but upon his return she died. Her death then created sorrier bringing in the irony of the beginning of the story where it was said that Mrs. Mallard’s heart was bad and she was tried not to be stressed.
A situational irony happens when a wicked man, The Misfit, causes the old woman to become sympathetic. Her enlightenment allows her to redeem herself by casting off her selfishness and reaching out to the serial killer. The Misfit's felony led to the old woman's redemption.
In conclusion, many examples are given throughout the novel that exemplifies all three types of irony: situational, verbal, and dramatic. There are many more examples, like Bernard wanting attention and John’s suicide. His suicide can be an example of irony, with the reader hoping that John (the revolutionist) might succeed, but John taking his own life. Irony plays a huge role in the book, pointing out that no society can be perfect and that some laws are broken by the creators themselves.
In the stories “Story of an Hour”, “Everyday Use”, “The Necklace”, and “The Lottery” it is evident that irony was quite a large part of the short story. There is situational irony, which is when the situation turns out differently than expected. Also, dramatic irony is present, which is when you as a reader knows more than the character. The authors seem to base their whole story around irony to surprise their readers.
Irony is the most significant technique that the author uses in this story. It shows the contrast between Louise's expectation and her limited reality. It also gives the story more twists and turns. The reader knows Louise's desire. However, her sister and her friend do not know.