How Ironic

What is irony? Irony is like sarcasm in a way; it contradicts a statement that the author is trying to get across to the reader. The use of irony in literature makes the reader stop and think about what the author is trying to truly express. Chaucer is a big fan of irony, especially in The Pardoners Tale.  He displays irony through death, friendship, and even himself. 

Irony is first demonstrated when one of the three friends says “We will kill this traitor death, I say!”. This sentence shows that three men are in search of death, and once they find it they will kill it.  They are acting like they can defeat something that can not physically be defeated.  When the reader reads this statement she thinks that death is an actual human being, which is clearly a false statement. What Chaucer is trying to explain is the three friends are trying to seek revenge because they are upset about their other friend passing away.

After the three friends have found the gold, they decide one of them needs to run into town to buy bread and wine.  While the youngest sprints into town the other two friends stay under the tree to guard the treasure.  One of them mentions how it would be even better if the treasure was split just between the two of them. He says it would be considered a “friendly act”.  When the reader contemplates this sentence she automatically thinks that this is definitely not a “friendly act”.  The two men are cheating the younger man and betraying him.  This is a perfect example of irony because there is nothing friendly about that. 

Irony is also displayed in the pardoner himself.  He is telling the reader a story about how lying and cheating will not get you anywhere. In the end, the reader finds out that the pardoner is actually being a hypocrite himself.  The pardoner is also greedy because he tricks people in the church and steals their money by selling them false relics.  The reader notices that although the pardoner has told his story about how sinning is horrible, he is sinning himself.  

        Chaucer loves the humor in irony which he uses throughout the whole story of The Pardoners Tale.  Making the sarcastic, ironic statements catch the readers attention and make them really contemplate what the author is trying to point out.  Death is not a person and can not be killed, lying and backstabbing is not a “friendly act”, and the pardoner is a hypocrite because he is also a sinner. 

Cha Cha Changes

         Throughout life people experience many changes. Some of these changes are for the worse, but can also be for the better.  We see many transformations throughout the play of Pygmalion.  One transformation we see is Eliza learning the importance of the english language and speaking it correctly.  Another occurrence is with Mr. Doolittle struggling against the middle class morality. 

         Why is speaking the English language correctly important? This one little detail can determine who we are and how we are portrayed by others in daily activities.  In Pygmalion, we see how important the English language is to Eliza.  The way she spoke kept her from having a decent job and being a respected girl. Although Eliza was smart, she could not get far in the business world because of this issue. This applies to people today as well. Most of society goes to school everyday to learn how to speak English correctly. We do this because we know that once we are applying for jobs and presenting presentations, knowing how to speak well plays an important part.  Well paying jobs are rewarded to the type of person who is cleaned up, proper, and has manners. When the time comes for me to apply for my first job, I will be prepared because I have been taught English for many years and I am well spoken. 

        What are morals? Does everyone have morals? A moral is having the ability to know the difference between right and wrong. Most people do have morals but do not always follow the right path.  In the play Pygmalion, there are two different types of the lower class, the deserving and the undeserving.  The deserving class try to live by the middle class morality although they do not have money.  The undeserving, like Mr. Doolittle, are the poor who throw out all of the rules of morality completely.  Because they do not have the money like the middle class, they would do anything to survive. For example, if a mother needs to feed her baby but does not have the money to buy bread, she would think it is okay to steal the bread. 

        Many themes were displayed throughout the play of Pygmalion. Eliza transformed into a lovely lady by the end of the story by learning how to properly speak.    Knowing how to speak correctly can help take you far in life and will always be important to our society. Also, Mr. Doolittle was an ordinary poor man but then became apart of the middle class. In the beginning, he was undeserving and did not have to follow the rules of morality. Once he came into some money the tables turned and he then had to follow the rules of the middle class morality. 

Time Flies

             Why do people set goals throughout life? What is the point of a goal? I think goals are important because it helps motivate and push me. Having motivation can cause success because it gives me something to look forward to each day. If I have a specific goal set, I will do whatever I can to meet that goal. All it takes is a little effort and determination. Having my mind set on something specific will help me achieve my dreams.
              Senior year is one of the most important years of high school. I have set some goals for myself to keep me motivated and to prepare myself for college.  One of my goals this year is to maintain my grade point average. I can do this by staying focused and not becoming a lazy senior. If I keep my daily habits of studying after school and working hard, then I will be successful and graduate from Fairhope High School. Another goal that I have is to get in shape for soccer season.  I can do this by attending the conditioning class and push myself to give 100% of effort each day.  Finally, one of my most important goals is to get accepted to Auburn  University. It would benefit me to take an ACT class before the September test and raise my score as much as I can.
             Once I am accepted to Auburn, I would like to go through rush and be in a sorority. To achieve this goal I will need to meet as many people as I can and have recommendation letters written for me. I would also like to go through the nursing program at Auburn and maintain above a 3.5 GPA.  I will need to stay focused and continue to study every day. If I remember I have a goal to meet, then I will be determined to meet that goal. After graduating from the nursing program at Auburn, I would like to specialize in the field of nursing and continue to go to school for a couple more years. If I make the right grades in college this goal of  mine can be accomplished.
               When I am finished with the six years of school I would like to get a well paying job at a hospital and move into a house somewhere in the South. I may have to start from the bottom and work my way up to the higher paying job. To get to that high point, I will need to show that I have the ability to work well with others and have the leadership needed for the position.  Once I settle down and have a job that I love, I will want to have a serious relationship and get married eventually. After a couple years of marriage I will want to have two kids, a boy and a girl. I hope to live happily with my husband and two kids in the South and eventually retire.
               Having a goal in life can help me through the hard times when I want to quit.  I will have the motivation to keep working hard and do the best that I can. The point of a goal is to help you achieve your dreams and become successful.  With these goals in mind, I can be happy and reach my dreams.