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hair. She, meantime, cuts her hair to sell to a wigmaker for money to buy her husband a watch-chain. The results of the situation here are far different from what
was expected. The husband expects that the comb he bought can be used to more beautify his wife’s long hair. While, the beautiful hair of his wife has been sold to buy
a chain for his sold watch. It seems very ironic because they cannot even use what they have bought for each. However it leads to a happy ending where the lovers are
drown closer together. Thus, it can be inferred that irony of situation occurred when the situation
seems ironic and the results of the situation can be far different from what was expected. The poet often do so for a reason and the reason is to put certain point of
view in such situation implicitly.
4. Cosmic Irony Irony Of Fate
In cosmic irony, the discrepancy is between a character’s aspiration and the treatment he or she receives at the hands of fate
84
. It occurs when the ambition or the strong desire of a character is having opponent with the reality of fate he has to
receive. The unexpected fate often gives a frustration. Cosmic irony suggests that some malicious fate or other spirit in the universe is deliberately frustrating human
effort
85
. O’Connor adds this kind of irony express a negative impulse and invite
ridicule. It spells frustration or megalomania as well as the persistent need for
84
X.J. Kennedy 1979, op.cit . 430.
85
Ibid. p. 86.
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‘debunking’
86
. In that frustration some of people then castigated a God who could put men in a certain miserably low status
87
. In this life, sharp contrasts between human ideals and reality, or between
human intentions and actual results often happened. This fact stimulates the existence of cosmic irony as O’Connor has said cosmic irony could be sustained
easily while there was a strong feeling that man had somehow been betrayed or badly treated by God
88
. It can be said that cosmic irony could express a disappointment of a character in a work to God treatment or someone who betrayed
his trust. It can be seen for instance in the inventing world where
the chlorofluorocarbon Freon-12 were invented as safe chemicals by Chemist and
mechanical engineer Thomas Midgley and intended for wide environmental use. However, it became an environmental disaster since the compounds in widespread
harm to the ozone layer. This fact must much or little frustrate the inventor of his effort since the reality is far different with what is intend.
It can be concluded that cosmic irony is a disparity between human intention and the reality happened. It could express a dissapointment of someone who feels
that he have been betrayed by someone or even been badly treated by God.
86
WM. Van O’ Connor 1948, op.cit. p. 132.
87
Ibid. p. 126.
88
WM. Van O’ Connor 1948, op.cit. p. 126.
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5. Understatement
