The irony in “Saul and David”
In Saul and David”, Anthony Hecht writes, “Shall a mere shepherd provide cure of kings?/Heaven itself delights in ironies such/As this, in which a boy’s fingers would touch/…..Pythagorean strings”. This quote makes reference to the end product of David’s feat of performing on the lyre. According to the Bible, Saul launched an attack David when David was performing his music. Even though David is proletarian, his lyre upsets Saul, who is a prodigious king. Ordinarily, a powerful king, as Saul, would not have been perturbed by the actions of an undistinguished, shepherd boy due to their dissimilar titles in society.
The irony of not wanting family in “The Transparent Man”
In “The Transparent Man”, the speaker says, “It’s better for me without a family; /it’s a great blessing”. These assertions are ironic considering that the speaker is distressed by Leukaemia. A family would have been requisite at this moment as it would offer her companionship and solace. The speaker’s ironic assertion infers that Leukaemia has taken toll; hence, the speaker has lost all aspirations in life, since the situation quashes the delight of being with a family.
