L. Rust Hills' essay "How to Eat an Ice-Cream Cone" offers a twist on the average how-to guide.

In his essay, "How to Eat an Ice-Cream Cone", L. Rust Hills utilizes several literary devices. Through the use of these literary devices, Hills is able to present his audience with an ironic and humorous twist on the average how-to guide. He accomplishes his goals through his use of his ironic topic choice, format, and vocabulary. Hills uses topic choice, vocabulary, and format to present his audience with an ironic and humorous essay. The irony …

…ice cream, Hills creates an ironic discrepancy between essay and essay content. Readers would expect a description of eating ice cream to be filled with informal, even juvenile vocabulary. Hills' use of ironic vocabulary shows the reader humor in an unexpected manner. The essay format utilized by Hills is also ironic and humorous. By presenting his essay in the form of a how-to guide, Hills ironically shows the reader how ridiculous the genre can be.