Jordan Vickers
English 101
3/1/15
Dramatic irony is a form of writing where the intended meaning of the words are very different from the actual meaning. The poems “Casual Wear” by James Merrill and “The ABC of Aerobics” by Peter Meinke are both examples of dramatic irony. James Merrill uses dramatic irony to satirize the wife tourist’s fancy designer clothes being worn by someone who could possibly die due to a terrorist act. Peter Meinke uses dramatic irony to satirize the fact that the protagonist runs for exercise but is also making fun of exercise in the poem. “Casual Wear” is written at first with a detached tone, then the tone changes to personal. “The ABC of Aerobics” is written with a solemn tone.
James Merrill uses dramatic irony to satirize the wife tourist’s designer jeans and that she doesn’t know she will die. In the line “Signed with a Flourish, like the dead wife’s jeans,” the speaker is satirizing specifically the claim of responsibility from the terrorist, by comparing it to the fancy designer jeans. “Claiming Responsibility,” demonstrates verbal irony because the speaker is saying that the terrorist is claiming responsibility without actually taking responsibility. “People... of colored mist,” at the end of “Casual Wear,” the reader is left with empty, meaningless people.
Peter Meinke uses dramatic irony to satirize the fact that the protagonist runs for exercise but is also making fun of exercise in the poem. The quote, “I join in despair knowing my arteries jammed with lint and tobacco, lord and bourbon,” shows that the protagonist started to exercise because he was worried about his health. In the line “Everyone’s jogging through Edgemont Park, frightened by death and fatty tissue,” the protagonist is making fun of the other people for exercising while he is doing the same thing. At the end of the poem the line “Breathing hard,” is talking about how the protagonist is out of shape and needs the exercise.

“Casual Wear” is written with a detached tone at first, then switches to personal. The quote “Your average tourist: Fifty. 2.3. Times married,” supports the detached theme, by no connection with anyone. The line “Signed with a flourish, like the dead wife’s jeans,” supports the tone in “Casual Wear” by the poem switching to personal tone at this line because it makes connections with the reader that the protagonist is married. “The ABC of Aerobics” is written with a solemn tone. The quote “My medical history a noxious marsh: newts and moles slink through the sudden veins,” depicts the solemn theme by his health being a serious problem.
Dramatic irony is a form of writing that enhances a piece of literature from the reader. James Merrill uses a detached and personal tone to satirize the wife’s designer jeans and the fact that she will die. Peter Meinke uses a solemn tone to satirize the fact that the protagonist runs for exercise but also makes fun of it in “The ABC of Aerobics.”