Irony 12

Applications on Irony
Irony
Definition: A mode of discourse for conveying
meanings different from, and usually opposite
to, the professed or ostensible ones. All irony
depends for its effectiveness on the belief in
and exploitation of the difference and
distance between words or events and their
contexts. (Routledge 123).
Types: Verbal Irony, Dramatic Irony, and
Situational Irony.
Verbal Irony
Definition: verbal irony involves a discrepancy
between what is said and what is really meant.
The ability to recognize such irony depends upon
an appreciation of the particular linguistic, or
sometimes more general social or moral, context.
Example: In speech, it is possible to indicate by
tone of voice that the word clever in the
sentence Hes a clever chap is to be understood
to mean stupid, but as this cannot be said to be
any of the meanings of the word clever, the
writer has to convey his sense obliquely.
Overstatement (also called hyperbole): a type of
verbal irony in which the speaker exaggerates,
says more than what he or she means.
Example: He is the cleverest man I have ever met.
Understatement: a type of verbal irony whereby
the speaker says less that what he or she means.
Example: your friend returns your new coat with
blots all over it; in response, you make an
understatement, It doesnt look too bad
Dramatic Irony
In Dramatic Irony, the audience knows more
about a character's situation than the
character does, foreseeing an outcome
contrary to the character's expectations, and
thus ascribing a sharply different sense to
some of the character's own statements and
actions.
Situational Irony
Situational irony: the situation turns out
differently than expected.
E.g. The police station gets robbed,
In The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry - The wife
cuts her long hair and sells it to have the
money to buy her husband a pocket watch
chain. He sells the watch to buy her a hair
accessory.

The True Story of AH Q
The author: Lu Xun or Lu Hsn (pronounced
"Lu Shun"; 1881-1936) is China's greatest
modern writer for most of the 20th
century. The Chinese leader Mao Zedong
(1893-1976) called him "commander of
China's cultural revolution.
His pre-eminence results from the fact that
despite his preoccupation with social and political
issues, he never puts his craft as writer second to
these concerns. Unlike many of his
contemporaries, his works enjoy a kind of
subtlety and sophistication of style that save
them from didacticism and propaganda. He also
has an eye for human weaknesses, which he
highlights in such a way that induces his readers
to try to eliminate them and the ensuing
corruption and deprivation.

Setting: Map of China
The story takes place in a village called Weichuang during
the second decade of the twentieth century. The story ends
in December 1921.
On May 4, 1919, the May Fourth Movement took place in
which students demonstrated in protest of the Treaty of
Versailles. The Movement helped the Chinese by promoting
science and making Chinese adopt a new easier form of
writing. Moreover, the movement was the foundation for
the forming of the Communist Party of China (CCP). From
that time on, and till 1949 there was a kind of civil war
between the ally of the west the KMT which aimed at
establishing a democracy in China and the CCP (Communist
Party of China) which ended in the establishment of the
Peoples Republic in China in 1949.
Satire of the Chinese society
Satire is a genre of writing that exposes the
failings of individuals, institutions, or societies to
ridicule and scorn. Irony is one of the techniques
used in satire.
Examples:
1- the reason why this name could not be traced
was that Chen Tu-hsiu had brought out the
magazine New Youth, advocating the use of the
Western alphabet, so that the national culture
was going to the dogs.
Satire continued
2- The men in the wine shop roared too, with
only slightly less satisfaction.
3- Society judges by appearance: It was the
custom in Weichuang that when there seemed to
be something unusual about anyone, he should
be treated with respect rather than insolence,
and now, although they knew quite well that this
was Ah Q, still he was very different from the Ah
Q of the ragged coat.
4- Villagers are cruel as clear from their reaction to
executions.
5- Villagers are envious of the rich and are cowardly:
After the Chao family was robbed most of the people
in Weichuang felt pleased yet fearful.
6- Society lacks justice: The two other men also
seemed to be villagers. They gradually fell into
conversation with him, and one of them told him that
the successful provincial candidate wanted to dun him
for the rent owed by his grandfather; the other did not
know why he was there.
Ah Q as an anti-hero
An anti-hero is a central character in a dramatic or narrative
work who lacks the qualities of nobility and magnanimity
expected of traditional heroes and heroines. This is
applicable to Ah Q as he:
1- is coward: He would look over the offender, and if it
were someone weak in repartee he would curse him, while
if it were a poor fighter he would hit him. Yet, curiously
enough, it was usually Ah Q who was worsted in these
encounters, until finally he adopted new tactics, contenting
himself in general with a furious glare.
2- has a low status in society: People of Weichuang only
made use of his services or treated him as a laughing-
stock.
3- falls in self-deception: Ah Q would walk away
also satisfied that he had won, thinking that he
was the "foremost self-belittler," and that after
subtracting "self-belittler" what remained was
"foremost.
4- is dirty: Ah Q took off his tattered lined jacket,
and turned it inside out; but either because he
had washed it recently or because he was too
clumsy, a long search yielded only three or four
lice.
5- is irresponsible: he still had a few cash left,
but instead of using these to redeem his felt
hat from the bailiff, he spent them all on
drink.
6- is a thief.
7- is a misogynist.
8- is a hypocrite.
Point of view

The story starts with the first person point of
view and then moves to the limited
omniscient.
Questions
1- What is the significance of Ah Qs lack of a
certain name and place of origin?
2- How is this short story a satire of the
Chinese Society at that time?
3- Write a short evaluation of Ah Qs character.
4- Did the revolution bring real change in the
society?
5- How is Ah Q an anti-hero?

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Applications on Irony

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