Irony is a significant device used by the poets in the slavery poems "On Being Brought from Africa to America," "The Dying Fugitive," and "Middle Passage." ... In this poem she uses a highly intelligent and scathing verbal irony. ... The poem also has traces of situational and cosmic irony. ... In "Middle Passage" Hayden uses standard epic conventions and devices and alters and inverts them to his liking. ... Robert Hayden uses his extensive knowledge of literature to make a new genre of slave poetry, but all of them recognized the effectiveness of irony as a literary device. ...

• Word Count: 846
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

" Chaudhry's words can be applied to the theme of isolation in both William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily," and Edwin Arlington Robinson's poem "Richard Cory.... On the other hand, in Robinson's poem, Richard Cory is a man envied by all; yet, his loneliness from not having any contact with his community leads him to take his own life. ... In both literary works, the authors use setting to demonstrate the social separations and alienation of the characters from their communities. Situational irony is another literary device used to convey the...

• Word Count: 1022
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Although irony can be a hard concept to grasp, three powerful poems will further distinguish and clarify each type of irony and why they are such a powerful device poets use. ... Throughout the poem, we learn he was a loyal Union member who worked in the same factory until retirement. ... The poet ironically concludes the poem asking the crucial questions of: "Was he free? ... Just as an artist paints something so simple with a deeper story or meaning behind; irony can be considered a literary art form in which poets can portray one thing to creatively convey their deeper meaning. ... As...

• Word Count: 1245
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate