Introduction
Irony implies the discrepancy between what is said and what is meant. Irony implies exactly the opposite of what is meant and that meaning ought to have been contradicted by how the idea is presented or conveyed.
Girls at War by Chinua Achebe
In this story, Achebe underscores individuals’ resolute to survive. He demonstrates that obstacles in life are necessary since they play an essential part in determining how a person lives. The story defines the tactics of survival and how to apply them in life. The short story is full of irony.
The art of Chinua Achebe’s writing is considered intriguing and puzzling as well. He perfectly beautifully uses irony to drive home his message (Booker 56). The exhilarating thing concerning the stories is how wrong people experienced good things and how bad things confront good people. This is to say that in the novel, good things are a product of bad things.
In the story, three different Gladys is portrayed by the reader. One Gladys is a hooker who trades herself; the other Gladys moderates herself while the third Gladys portrayed by the reader is one who is generous and willing to put the interests of other people first. On the other hand, there is Nwankwo who is greedy and selfish and never shares anything especially food with other people except his family. The irony in this part is that whereas Gladys died, Nwankwo lives comfortably. This was not in line with the positions and the responsibilities that they both held; Nwankwo was a leader and Gladys was not. As a leader, Nwankwo is expected to protect everyone. This is how Achebe expresses irony in this novel.
Another irony is depicted when Reginald Nwankwo goes to the relief center to collect food. He does this at the mercy of the massive starving crowd who has been waiting pensively at the gate. Nwankwo shares the food with his driver before the eyes of the crowd who late shouts and also peddles insults at him. He only shares the food with his relatives and his love interest because he only wants to have sex with her.
Consequently, the roles bestowed upon Nwanko and Gladys are ironic. Whereas Nwanko wished that he continue to live to keep on providing for his friends, family, and relatives, Gladys on the other prayed that she continue to live to protect the community including Nwanko himself. This is a reversal of roles which is ironic (Ramraj 1).
Black Skin What Mask by Dambuzdo Marechera
The story Black Skin What Mask was derived from the work of Fanon, Black Skin, White Mask. The story by Dambuzdo describes a student who is torn between indigenous and exotic cultures. The narrator’s friend has rejected his native lifestyle and culture in totality as explained by the narrator who is the protagonist in the story. In the story Black Skin What Mask, the writer brings to light many instances of irony between the narrator and his friend.
The first case of irony is depicted in the behavior of the narrator’s friend. The narrator’s friend has tried his best to treat himself and to emulate the whites and despite him going to the extend of correcting God’s nature of creation, he still cannot be accepted by the whites.
He is still a friend to the narrator who is black. The irony in the behavior of the narrator’s friend is that however much he tries to carry out himself as a civilized and westernized it is all in vain: he cannot be singed out since the white people still believe and have the notion that he is a black. Any treatment that is accorded to the blacks will also be accorded to the narrator’s friend. Consequently, despite the knowledge of the narrator’s friend and his education, it is ironic that he still believes he has the potential and the ability to alter his color and his physical look.
Ironically, the narrator’s friend believes in changing his looks to fit into a white social class and interactive coexistence. However, his behavior, dialect, and mannerism are reflective of a black person and this nullifies his man-made impressive physical looks. This is reflected in his dancing and talking which made a mockery of him. After all his efforts, he still was avoided by the white people hence disapproving of him (Ramraj 281).
Conclusion
The two stories show several ironies. In the first story, good people are sidelined and bad things confront them. While in the other story one person tries so much to look and appear as a white person. The common key message of both stories is that it is always necessary to remain oneself in all kinds of situations and do not get under the influence of evil. There is no need to act in a wicked or cruel way to achieve a desirable success as all problems can be solved in another, more reasonable way.
Works Cited
Booker, Keith. The Chinua Achebe Encyclopedia. New York: Greenwood Group, 2003. Print.
Ramraj, Victor. Concert of Voices: An Anthology of World Writing in English (2nd ed.). New York: Broadview Press, 2009. Print.