Question

How does this final stanza of ah are you digging on my grave use irony to disappoint the speakers expectation?

Answer 1

Answer:

It uses irony to show that despite her expectation of being missed by someone, no one seemed to have the same sentiment. rather, she found that her dog was the one digging, not because he missed her but to bury his bone. He also added that he had forgotten she was buried there.

Explanation:

The final stanza of the poem "Oh, Are You Digging On My Grave?" by Thomas Hardy shows a dead woman expecting someone would remember her. The lines goes like this-

"Mistress, I dug upon your grave

To bury a bone, in case

I should be hungry near this spot

When passing on my daily trot.

I am sorry, but I quite forgot

It was your resting-place."

She heard someone digging her grave and then she began guessing who that would be, her husband 'who must have missed her' or her family or even her enemy. But it was none of them but rather her dog. Even then, she was happy to know that at least someone remembered her. Ironically, the dog wasn't there for her but rather to hide his bone in case he gets hungry on his walks. This irony in the scene's reality and the narrator's expectations shows how she must have been missed by someone. But it was nobody except her dog who wants to hide his bone not because he felt anything for her. Not only that, he also mentioned that he had quite forgotten that she was buried there.

Answer 2

Answer:

It uses irony to upset the dead woman’s hopes that she is mourned.

Hope this helps!