The choice of making her protagonist a woman "afflicted with a heart trouble, " makes the readers of the story sympathetic. ... It might be ironic that they rushed to tell her he was dead, and he then was still alive, putting her through unnecessary pain and the potential of giving her a heart attack, but that irony would've played mean. ... In the end, when she dies upon seeing him still alive, they say her heart stopped from the sheer "joy that kills, " (23) the greatest irony of all so far, because it was just the very opposite of joy. ... The room would go dark like her soul. ... Thes...

• Word Count: 1623
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

What they chose to do with their lives though, determined their place in a "civilized- world, one who tries to overlook darkness and its connotations. ... "From suffering, these goblins pass to crime; fated filiation, giddy procreation, the logic of darkness- (246). ... He felt the same identity crisis as Jean Valjean realizing he was not a hard-hearted criminal that hated society: "[Marius] heard talk of philosophy, of literature, of art, of history, of religion, in a style he had not looked for. ... The four wanted to gain revenge on a person who was more fortunate than them, and the ir...

• Word Count: 1331
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Williams creates imagery that is very vivid and irony that is veiled. ... Directly following is the dark emotions of the widow: "But the grief in my heart is stronger than they/ for though they were my joy/ formerly, today I notice them/ and turned away forgetting." ... Ironically, due to the hardening of her heart by the memories of the death of her husband, springtime is associated with pain and sorrow. ... The juxtaposition of the two serves almost as figurative expression of irony. ... The seasons serve as markers of time and evoke irony on the displacements of memory throughout each....

• Word Count: 1615
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

But when he understands how sinister Heathcliff is, the narrative tone becomes darker. ... Heathcliff is dark in his mood but Lockwood is bright and light. ... The shift in tone is so obvious because Catherine's inconsiderate attitude and Heathcliff's darkness both in his appearance and heart touch the readers. ... The whole atmosphere turns into dark, gloomy, and uncivilized. ... Irony actually takes the reader into confidence to define a character or a situation. ...

• Word Count: 2278
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

This quote has a direct irony in correlation to Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of "Young Goodman Brown". ... This creed leads Brown into the dark forest to confront evil. ... Perhaps he made a subconscious pact to meet with the devil, his darkness. ... The cold dew that was sprinkled on his cheek symbolizes the coldness that began to grip his heart. ... Hawthorne's usage of lightness and darkness show there is no light without dark, no love without hate, no saint without sin. ...

• Word Count: 1393
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Curséd the heart that had the heart to do it. ... The curse starts with alliteration in "hand...holes" (line 14), which transitions to diacope in "heart...heart," and "blood...blood" (lines 14-16). ... The first reference to the "heart" refers to the murderer's physical organ; the second mention of the "heart" refers to the intention behind the murder. ... However, in keeping with the dark tone of the curse, this cursed child further binds Anne and Richard as his parents. ... The most prominent marker of dramatic irony is marked w...

• Word Count: 1444
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In a twist of irony it turns out that Iago's own wife, Emilia, who picks up the sword of heroism to combat the evil of Iago. ... It is because Othello looses his trust for Desdemona that his heart is turned to madness. ... Barbantio, Desdemona's father, takes great offense to his daughter marrying a man of dark skin. ... Iago knows this and uses Othello's open hero's heart against him in horrible ways. ... Could his lack of trust in his heart make his character the ultimate anti-hero? ...

• Word Count: 1287
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Within these two poems he is able to bring people closer to the heart of primitive human nature in his race than anyone ever before (Laryea 109). ... He uses irony to try and explain the feelings of pain and sorrow, as in the line " And pain still throbs in the old, old scars and they pulse again with a keener sting". ... He seeks to redeem the darker brother throughout his works of poetry (Mead 132). ... Dunbar is known for skillful work in placing rhymes and irony throughout his poems "We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile". ... As you see in "We Wear Masks"...

• Word Count: 1623
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

During the play, he suffers because of his dark secrets and battles his conscience even after his specific desire is reached or accomplished. ... Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heart-oppressed brain? ... All events in this play, take place at night, in a dark environment, or during a storm. This symbolizes the darkness, evil, and confusion that are lurking inside Macbeth's mind. ... The appearance of Banquo to Macbeth can be seen as dramatic irony because Macbeth knows that Banquo is dead and still mentions his absence during the feast to...

• Word Count: 1597
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Yet after a scrupulous analysis, I believe the whole narration, elevated by the title, to be an irony. ... ", for he had broken her heart four years ago. ... Death, in his opinion, had been probably due to shock and sudden failure of the heart's action". ... Such condition explained the anger, which was stage one of the self-deceptive irony --- he just subconsciously wished the exciting event to be relevant with himself. Secondly, the irony flourished when the emotion transferring from anger to sympathetic. ...

• Word Count: 2446
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

"They ain't afraid of the dark. ... Or lose-" "They"d build a ship-" The three boys stood in the darkness, striving unsuccessfully to convey the majesty of adult life. ... (p. 200) This shows irony because both Piggy and the conch symbolize civilization and when they both coincidently are destroyed at the same time, there is nothing but savagery left on the island. ... To prove that all order is lost and there is only pure chaos on the island after Piggy's death, the hunters try to kill Ralph and he collapses on the beach in exhaustion, then he "wept for the end of innocence, t...

• Word Count: 1765
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Banquo a bit more cautious than Macbeth warns him (the good is bad thing, remember) "oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness (the witches) tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifle, to betray's / In deepest consequence." ... Is there some irony that just after saying this Duncan greets Macbeth in absolute trust? ... Notice the irony in the comment "He (Duncan) that's coming / Must be provided for." ... More irony as we know what's going on. ...

• Word Count: 1879
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

"Lady Lazarus" is a dark poem originally published in the collection Ariel. ... `There's a stake in your fat, black heart.' This metaphor is used to show the need for women to stand up for themselves and figuratively "put a stake" through men's hearts. ... "Lady Lazarus" is a bitter poem filled with irony and sarcasm. ... His memory is killed "with a stake in [his] fat black heart" and can rest and "lie back now" with her comfort and personal victory. ...

• Word Count: 1428
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Gatsby is living alone in a world of "darkness," trying to seize one small thing to bring him happiness. ... The longing in his heart is to have Daisy, but more importantly to have a new hope in his life. He has always kept the idea in his heart that he could be reunited with Daisy. ... Gatsby's response to Nick, telling him that he can repeat the past, is symbolic of the tragic irony that is behind Gatsby's fate. ... Fitzgerald integrates symbolism into the heart of the novel so strongly that it is almost necessary to read the book twice to get a sufficient amount out of it. ...

• Word Count: 1529
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Aimlessly walking the streets of London that wet winter's morning, I surrendered to my dark depression. ... They were dressed from head to toe in black; I couldn't discern one identifying feature, even their eyes were covered with dark glasses. ... Terrified, my heart stood still and the room went into a drunken spin as I felt the piercing edge of a blade against my neck. ... I pondered the irony of how just a few hours back I had sought sanctuary in this modern day fortress and now I was its captive. ... Eventually, I ventured into the pulsating darkness and descended the stairw...

• Word Count: 2165
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

Macbeth has a change of heart before he reaches home until his wife persuades him that it can be done safely. ... She prays to the powers of darkness to make her become less feminine when she says 'unsex me here' so that she can have no natural feelings of pity and carry out the procedure selfishly. ... She acts like a woman with a warm heart and charm. ... In Shakespearean times it have been said that he was the victim of the powers of darkness such when Lady Macbeth thought up the powers of evil and pr...

• Word Count: 2124
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Gonzo, on an assignment from a sports magazine to cover "the fabulous Mint 400"--a free-for-all biker's race in the heart of the Nevada desert. ... There is also an irony that connects them. ... Although both examples of modern American literature, it could be said that the novels are very anti-the-American-Dream, and serve the purpose of exposing the dark side through entertaining and satirical literature. They pin-point the American Dream's darker elements and also lay in the idea that being unsuccessful is un-American, and is the result of laziness, not lack of opportunity; thus, ...

• Word Count: 2076
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

The irony of the novel lies in the fact that the most respected member of this Puritanical society, the Reverend Dimmesdale, is Hester's partner in sin. ... The significance of the scarlet letter in the life of Dimmesdale, whose guilt remains hidden, is suggested by a hidden scarlet letter on his heart. ... Ironically, Hester and Pearl walk past the scaffold, and the minister calls for them to join him, for it is protected by the cover of darkness. ...

• Word Count: 1285
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

In the first act, the family are celebrating Sheila's engagement with Gerald in a light-hearted dinner party and they are made to look all warm and kind. ... At this point, the lighting would have been toned down to darker, grimmer colours. ... In an instant, the audience know that the Inspector is talking about the war and here dramatic irony is used as is when Mr Birling says there will be no war and that the Titanic is unsinkable, thus, the characters would be mystified by his speech, while the audience know perfectly what the inspector is talking about. ...

• Word Count: 1261
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Chopin related L'Abri with darkness when she described it as melancholy and the buildings "black like a cowl" and Desiree "shuddered at the sight of it" (Chopin). ... She did not even stand up to Armand to understand the meaning of his darker skin. ... Mallard has heart problems which made me view her as a naturally weaker character at the beginning of the story. ... The irony is after she said this, Mr. ...

• Word Count: 1578
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The stanzas are made up of interlinking three-line units with the rhyme scheme ababcbcdc, continuing this to the end of the stanza: O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, (a) Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead (b) Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing, (a) Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, (b) Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou, (c) Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed (b) The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low, (c) Each like a corpse within its grave, until (d) Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow (c) H...

• Word Count: 1748
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

One may also point out the twist of Irony associated, for if Gatsby had not shown so much pride to have a yellow car he may never have been so easily spotted in the connection of Mrytle's death, causing in fact his own. ... His heart knows the actual disrespect he has shown to Gatsby. ... He did not know that it was already behind him; somewhere back in the vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. ... It defines what we hold in our hearts, what we hold in our minds. ...

• Word Count: 1696
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

The irony of this situation illuminates that the townspeople are not without sin themselves. ... Unlike the man she married, however, he is portrayed with images of a dark nature. ... His half-hearted attempt to secure Hester's confession is due to his fear of incriminating himself. ... When he grabs Pearl hand, the narrator states, "The moment that he did so, there came what seemed a tumultuous rush of new life, other life than his own, pouring like a torrent into his heart and hurrying through all his veins, as if the mother and the child were communicating their vital warmth to his hal...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

A man paced across the floor, clenching and unclenching his fists, his gruff face veiled in hate, and his eyes fired with that infamous dark and intense gaze that conveyed his authority and power. ... He smiled to himself, reflecting on the word family "the irony of that simple word, that everyday word. ... I wish I could do something,"" she uttered; her heart clenched tight in worry. ...

• Word Count: 1588
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Most of the Soldiers in Othello's army followed him faithfully, except for "Honest iago " Shakespeare, uses clashing irony, by giving Iago his Nickname, many people referred to Iago as "Honest Iago; " Iago is an angry, smart, tricky, ruthless, evil, selfish, bastard. ... Brabantio believes Othello, has swayed Desdemona with his dark magic, "My Daughter! ... Brabantio accepts his daughter's decision and joins their hands together, "Come Hither Moor, I here do give thee that with all my heart,"" (Shakespeare 789.) ...

• Word Count: 1320
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School