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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3 page paper examines three instances of irony in the short story "The Balloon" by Donald Barthelme. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVBaloon.rtf
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that covers almost all of Manhattan, and the reaction of the New Yorkers to this experiment. This paper examines three instances of irony in the story. Discussion The
first thing to note about the balloon is that it seems to be flat, not round; its more of a floating pancake, apparently, than anything else. Its anchored to
the buildings in some places so that its not all that high off the ground; its as if the city suddenly got a new sky made of rubber. A
balloon this size should provoke some sort of profound reaction, perhaps even shock or panic. That it does no such thing is a use of irony: "Some people
found the balloon interesting. As a response, this seemed inadequate to the immensity of the balloon, the suddenness of its appearance over the city; on the other hand, in the
absence of hysteria or other societally-induced anxiety, it must be judged a calm, mature one (Barthelme, 1981). The response of the city - that the balloon is "interesting" -
is the same type of courage that, in the words of the old clich?, people find by whistling when they pass a graveyard at night, to cheer themselves up and
keep from feeling frightened. The residents are startled, no doubt, and even perhaps afraid, but they dont react appropriately to what is certainly a cause for (at least) concern.
The phrase "societally-induced anxiety" is very funny because it tells us that New York isnt panicking because its not socially acceptable to do so. This is situational irony:
the situation is different than common sense tells us it is; here, common sense would tell us that having a balloon several miles long appear overnight and blanket the
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