Question

Which of these excerpts from poems by Emily Dickinson uses irony?

Answer 1

The 2nd one.


There's a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons,
That oppresses, like the weight
Of cathedral tunes.

Answer 2

Answer:

Exultation is the going

Of an inland soul to sea, —

Past the houses, past the headlands,

Into deep eternity!

Explanation:

This is the section that best presents an example of irony. In this poem, Dickinson talks about death. She begins by claiming that she cannot breathe, and that she does not want to die. She describes very oppressive images, such as the need for air, the tightening of a cocoon, the oppressiveness of light. However, at the end, she describes an "exultation" or a type of happiness because of death, which is unexpected, and thus ironic.