The author employs situational irony by contrasting the class president's optimistic assertion that the vote will be "close" with the overwhelming vote distribution, which clearly favors one project overwhelmingly (19 to 1 to 1 to 2). This irony highlights a disconnect between the president's expectations and the reality of the situation, emphasizing the lack of genuine competition among the options. The effect is a sense of disillusionment, as it underscores the president's naivety and the lack of engagement from the majority of students in considering the other projects.
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 finished, 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 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 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.
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