The Irony of Male Supremacy and Dominance
Culture depicts men as superior beings who deserve to rule the world and control women in all aspects. Conventional men brainwashed women to believe that they are nothing without men and they have no option but to be submissive and respect men. The story of Desdemona can be linked to the Biblical book of creation which argues that a woman was created from a man's rib an indication that she is inferior to men. Men have used this kind of thinking to paint women as inferior beings who do not deserve anything. Ironically, there would be no men without women. All men are born and raised by a woman. Desdemona asks herself the question, "Who is greater? He who claims supremacy here below or She, without whom there would be no life here below?" Satirically, a man raised by a woman ends up thinking that he is superior to the woman who carried him for nine months in her womb and raised him for years.
The Irony of Womanhood
According to the narrator, being a woman is a beautiful thing that has ever existed. To start with, a woman symbolizes life and her love for humanity cannot be disputed. A woman is naturally affectionate and seductive but it is ironic that men do not understand women. She asks men, “How can you confuse finesse with obedience, discretion with ignorance, tenderness with submission, seductiveness with prostitution and woman with weakness?" Satirically, men who claim supremacy over women know nothing about the female gender. Women are underestimated by men because, given equal opportunities, most women will outshine men.
The Irony of Love
Love is deemed to be a good thing that brings pleasure and tenderness. Ironically, according to Barbary, love is a source of evil. She is treated badly by the man she loves. Her lover is not ready to reciprocate his love for her. Barbary sings, “Now I feel lost. Now I know that love can be a source of evil. I love you. I forgive you.” Just like the reader, Barbary first thinks that love is a source of strength that keeps off solitude and fear. It is however ironic that the people we love most are the ones who hurt us the most.
The irony of women being own enemies
More often women are accused of being their own enemies because they critique their fellow women instead of supporting and elevating them. The reader expects the female gender to show love towards each other and accumulate the energy of defeating the narrative that men are superior to men. Ironically, women like Emilia and other white-colored maids gossip negatively about Desdemona. According to Emilia and her fellow women, Desdemona is ill-mannered and proud of nothing. However, the reader realizes that everything said of Desdemona by her fellow women is a lie. Desdemona is a courageous and determined woman who has risen above the demeaning culture that favors men. Instead of supporting Desdemona to demand equal treatment, her fellow women are talking negatively about her.
The Irony of Desdemona
From the beginning of the playscript by Morrison, Desdemona starts the narrative by saying that she is not an average woman who lets culture to dictate her life. She explains how women in her society are controlled by men. She goes farther to say that she does not live according to the definition of her name because she is different from what people think. The reader expects Desdemona to be a strong woman in marriage who does not condone brutality from her husband. However, she admits that in her marriage she underwent brutality but not because she had no choice. She says, “Is it your final summation of me that I was foolish naif who surrendered to her husband’s brutality because she had no choice?” The reader finds it satirical that Desdemona could withstand any form of brutality from her husband under whatever circumstance.
