The author employs situational irony by leading the reader to believe that the voting process will be competitive, yet one option overwhelmingly dominates the others with a vote tally of 19 to 1 to 1 to 2. This stark contrast between the anticipated close race and the actual outcome heightens the tension in the scene, as Casey and her classmates expect diverse opinions but are confronted with a clear favorite. The effect is a sense of disillusionment regarding democratic participation, as the notion of collaboration and consensus is undermined by the overwhelming support for a single project.
The class president's face took up one half of the screen and the survey took up the other half. "alright," she said. "You can all vote for whichever community project most interests you. i can't see the totals from my side while the vote is ongoing, but when everyone's , i'll announce the winner." Casey voted, and a bar graph showing the vote totals popped up in the survey's place. she watched one bar on the graph rapidly outclimb the others. "i'm sure this will be a close vote," the class president continued, "a lot of thought went into developing these ideas, and it's just so hard to choose." there were four options. as the president spoke, casey watched the vote spread settle at 19 to 1 to 1 to 2. "i hope that we can all agree to put our all into the project that wins," the president went on. "and for those of you who feel strongly about an option that doesn't win. perhaps you can consider leading an additional project next semester. in 3 simple sentences, explain how the author uses a type of irony to create an effect. identify both the type of irony used and the effect it has.
1 answer