"Rape Fantasies"
Irony is the use of words to express something different from and opposite to their literal meaning. It is used with tone and style to create humorous situations. There are various forms of irony. Margaret Atwood uses situational irony, dramatic irony, and verbal irony in "Rape Fantasies".
Situational irony refers to circumstances in which bad things happen to good people, or in which rewards are not earned because forces beyond human comprehension seem to be in total control. Margaret Atwood uses situational irony …showed first 85 words of 464 total…
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…showed last 85 words of 464 total…opposite of what is said. A good example of verbal irony is when the rapist grabs Estelle's arm. Estelle says, sad and dignified, "You'd be raping a corpse." (280)
Margaret Atwood uses these different forms of irony to create a humorous story out of a serious situation. Women having rape fantasies is ironic in itself. Without all the ironic situations, this story would be boring and bland.
Atwood, Margaret. "Rape Fantasies". Literature: An Introduction to
Reading and Writing. Eds. Roberts, Edgar V. and Jacobs, Henry E.
1998:275-281
