Literary Research Essay

Your Name Course and Section Professor’s Name July 23, 2024 Irony and Conflict in Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" Protagonist and antagonist are other literary categories deemed critical in defining plots, building suspense, and passing essential messages. Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" can be characterized through these elements. However, they are used differently. Twain's work has elements of satirical Irony that disapprove of patriotism and the painful cost of wars. On the other hand, Poe focuses on the evil aspects of human nature, with personal vengeance and pride leading to disastrous effects. In this essay, the conflict and Irony employed in the two works will be analyzed, and elucidation of passages frequenting in the works shall be made to support their further significance and the role of the conflict and Irony in supporting the themes adopted. Conflict and Irony are expressed in works such as "The War Prayer" and "The Cask of Amontillado" to estimate the darker aspects of personality and social expectations. Twain employs the element of situational Irony, pointing out society's perception of war. In contrast, Poe employs dramatic Irony and delivers the topic of revenge and pride, contributing to the ethical and pivotal dimension of the stories. Writing is an art that may require creativity and uniqueness to come up with something the world has not seen before. Therefore, through situational Irony, Twain can give a bitter commentary on the glorification of war in his "The War Prayer. " I think this story tells of a worshipping assembly that kneels to prayer for success in warfare. An older man, representing a divine messenger, interrupts and reveals the true meaning of their prayers, and at the same time, they are also cursing their foes to death and destruction. Saying that this revelation reveals one more aspect of their nature – hypocrisy- makes one think about the cruelty that may hide behind their 'concern for others' and 'wishes to repent.' A key passage illustrates this situation Irony is when the messenger states A critical passage that illustrates this situational Irony is when the messenger states "O Lord our God, help us to rip their soldiers to pieces with our shells, help us to overlay their complacent fields with the white bones of their liberty-loving patriot dead…" (Twain). This passage reverses the congregation's prayer and shows absolute savagery behind this pious utterance. The distance between the congregational standings and the messenger's opinion is evident and shows how moral apropos can be lost when prowess and patriotism are prioritized. This situational Irony not only accuses the congregati...