Irony & Literary Devices
When the police officers in "Lamb to the Slaughter" eat the murder weapon while talking about where it might be, they are demonstrating this type of irony.
What is dramatic irony?
Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford experiment proved that cruel behavior often stems not from bad people, but from the corrupting influence of this.
What is power/unchecked power?
The psychological breakdown of authority and power seen in "The Stanford Prison Experiment" directly parallels the parent-child role reversal in this sci-fi story.
What is "The Veldt?"
The tragic climax of "Ruthless" occurs when this caretaker unknowingly hands Judson the poisoned drink to revive him.
Who is Alec?
In "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor’s coat of arms features a human foot crushing a serpent whose fangs are embedded in the heel, which symbolizes this concept that he acts upon.
What is revenge?
The title "Lamb to the Slaughter" contains a double meaning: it references the physical murder weapon, but also refers to this unsuspecting victim walking into danger.
Who is Patrick Maloney?
The villagers' blind following to the dated phrase, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon," mirrors the psychological tendency toward this social phenomenon.
What is peer pressure/conformity?
Both "Ruthless" and "Button, Button" center on characters who justify committing harm to strangers driven by this flaw.
What is greed/selfishness?
In "Lamb to the Slaughter," Mary Maloney secures her innocence when she does this with the murder weapon.
What is feeding it to the police?
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator insists throughout his story that he is not mad, claiming instead that this sense of his is superhuman.
What is hearing?
In "The Veldt," George Hadley finds his chewed wallet and Lydia finds her bloody scarf in the nursery early in the story, serving as this literary device.
What is foreshadowing?
In "The Man in the Well," the children form a collective group identity that allows them to not feel as though what happened was their fault. This shows that the more people there are, the less each person feels this.
What is responsible?
Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" and Judson in "Ruthless" both believe they are serving justice, but their actions are driven by this distinct impulse.
What is revenge/vengeance?
In "Button, Button," Arthur Lewis dies in this specific manner after the button is pushed.
What is a subway accident/fell in front of a train?
In "The Lottery," Old Man Warner, the black box, and the ritual action at the ending are all symbolize the dangers of this.
What is tradition?
In "The Cask of Amontillado," Fortunato is dressed in a jester's motley costume during a festive carnival, which contrasts sharply with his gruesome fate—a prime example of this device.
What is situational irony?
Modern analysis reveals that the original 1964 reporting of Kitty Genovese overstated this specific detail.
What is that no-one helped/the number of people who helped?
The children in "The Man in the Well" who remain silent due to emotional detachment mirror the passive neighbors described in this real-world event and article.
What is the Kitty Genovese Murder?
In "The Veldt," the story ends chillingly as David McClean arrives at the house and sees the children having a picnic while this happens in the background.
What is lions eating their parents/the Hadleys?
In "Button, Button," the two main characters argue over the value of this.
What is human life?
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the thumping noise heard by the killer under the floorboards represents this internal emotion rather than a physical sound.
What is guilt/paranoia?
Milgram’s research in the Milgram Experiment concluded that people will compromise their moral compass to follow strict directions, which is called this.
What is blind obedience?
Tessie Hutchinson’s defense of "unfairness" in "The Lottery" highlights how people accept injustice until this condition is met.
What is until it directly effects them?
Montresor cares very deeply about his family name and honor, so much so that he is willing to do this to a friend that belittles it.
What is bury him alive in a wall?
In "The Man in the Well," the narrator explains that the children never told their parents about the man because doing so would require them to give up this powerful feeling over him.
What is control?