(2) …a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout. [29]
The author here proposed the measure to solve the problem of starvation and overpopulation by eating or selling children from poor families. However, his real purpose was to rip off the hypocritical mask of hypocrites. Used as a means to satirize, irony helped to disclose the serious problem of the society in above example.
6.1.3Used as an approach to be polite
In daily conversation, people are apt to be polite. As an indirect expression, irony is widely applied. For example:
(1) “Have a drink?”
“All right, but not up at the bar. We will take a table.”
“The perfect father.”
(F.S. Fitzgerald Babylon Revisited) [30]
(2) “The boy has broken another glass,” said the mother.
“A fine thing!” the father replied. [31]
In example (1), the son chose the polite way of using “the perfect father” which actually referred to one who was stingy about money matter. If he complained directly to his father that “A stingy father”, the impoliteness would break the relationship between the father and son more or less. Conversely, the father in example (2) criticized the fault of his son in an indirect way. “A fine thing!” could be treated as a criticism out of goodwill.
6.1.4 Used as an approach to be humorous
In Section 5.2 of this paper, we have learned that verbal irony serves as an approach of verbal humor. Therefore, the humorous function of irony can be easily revealed. Below are some more examples for further acknowledging.
(1) Polite horse
The Bach sees Ball walking lamely, asks him: “ What’s happened?” Ball says: “ I went to the forest park to ride the horse on Sunday.” “ I’m sure that it was an unruly （难驾驭的），or the horse did not allow to ride?” “Both are not. Just the horse was very polite --- when it ran to a stockade （栅栏）at a full gallop, it stopped all of a sudden and made me leap over first.” Says Ball. [32]
(2) Taken in Twice
“What’s the matter with your hands?”
“They were bitten by the serpent（大蛇）.”
“How can it happen?”
“I went to the forest the day before yesterday. Seeing there is a snake around the tree, I picked up a stick to beat.”
“Missed the target.”
“No, what is twisted（缠绕）around the tree was a rope, while what I picked up was just a snake.” [33]
A new conception of what a polite horse is shows forth in example (1). Humor occurred when Ball understated his displeasing experience by using irony. Similarly, the embarrassment of the narrator in example (2) is well veiled in the ironic statement, which brings humor to good effect.