Secretary of State William Seward's decision to purchase Alaska was controversial. Public opinion during the period was influenced by newspapers, which sneered at what they called "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox." They saw no reason to purchase the land from Russia
This is an example of irony.
It's not parody since the action isn't being dramaticized or made ridiculous, nor is it foreshadowing since there's it's not really suggesting that this later incident will happen. It's also not a metaphor since it's not different things being compared or likened to one another.
E.
<span>The English writer William Shakespeare wrote histories of the kings of England.</span>
