Amusement in “The Ransom of Red Chief”. - 600 Words

Amusement in â€Å"The Ransom of Red Chief†. Dictionary.com defines humor as a comic and absurd quality causing amusement. O.Henry adds amusement in the short historical fiction story, â€Å"The Ransom of Red Chief†. O.Henry adds humor to his story through the use of literary devices. O.Henry uses allusion, word play, and irony to create levity in his story. All of these create levity but one that especially creates levity is allusion. First, Allusion is good for creating humor because by using prior knowledge it helps to picture an expression, scene, city, town, etc, to make it funny. One way he does this is by showing how Red Chief is trying to scalp Bill just as Red Chief warned earlier. For example, â€Å"Just at daybreak, [he] was awakened by a†¦show more content†¦Third, an example of Tautology is â€Å"There was a sylvan attitude of somnolent sleepiness pervading that section of external outward surface of Alabama that lay exposed to my view (Henry 52)†. This establishes humor by showing that he uses two of the same meaning words in a row. The literary devices in word play are good humorous traits and so is Irony. Third, Irony creates the most comedy. First, an example of situational irony is when Johnny does not want to go home after he has been kidnapped. ‘â€Å"Red Chief?† â€Å"Would you like to go home?† â€Å"Aw for what?†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(Henry 51) This turns out to be the opposite because most kids would like to go home if they have been kidnapped not stay with the kidnappers. Second, an example of dramatic irony is when Bill takes Johnny home but Johnny follows Bill back to the cove and Bill does not know it. This makes it funny because Bill doesn’t have a clue that Red Chief followed him but Sam does. Third, an example of verbal irony is when Sam wakes up and tells Bill he has a pain in his shoulder but he actually is afraid of Red Chief because Red Chief said he would be burned at stake at dawn. This makes it funny because it shows that the Johnny is scaring them but they will not admit it. These are literary devices that create humor in â€Å"The Ransom of Red Chief†. Thus, this is how the author creates humor in â€Å"The Ransom of Red Chief†. Allusion producesShow MoreRelatedMario and the Magician18314 Words   |  74 Pagesevening we arrived, when we went in to dinner and were shown to our table by the waiter in charge. As a table, it had nothing against it, save that we had already fixed our eyes upon those on the veranda beyond, built out over the water, where little red-shaded lamps glowed-and there were still some tables empty, though it was as full as the dining-room within. The children went into raptures at the festive sight, and without more ado we announced our intention to take our meals by preference inRead MoreIgbo Dictionary129408 Words   |  518 PagesEdition II 2. The development of the present work The immediate source of this dictionary is a long vocabulary compiled by G.W. Pearman in several MS copies. The copy I have made use of is written in blue ink in a foolscap notebook, with additions in red ink, and is 188 pages long. It has no title, but is marked on the inside cover: The property of the C.M.S. Niger Mission, ONITSHA, with a note Copyright reserved!! and the authors signature, dated once 12.9.56 and once 13.2.57. This manuscriptRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesproblems leads us to think that management is incompetent or that controls have not been established to provide prompt feedback at strategic control points. For example, a declining competitive position in one or a few geographical areas should be a red flag that something is amiss. To wait months before investigating or taking action may mean a permanent loss of business. Admittedly, signals sometimes get mixed, and complete information may be lacking, but procrastination is not easily defended