irony in "hard times" ??

Hard Times is full of irony. Here are a few good examples:

1. Right at the beginning of the novel the "Speaker" is telling the schoolteacher how to teach.

2. Bounderby's constant admission to being low class, and his use of swear words, but then instead of apologizing for his swearing he instead claims he is low class and therefore no apology is expected!

3. Mrs. Sparsit's husband ironically dies of alcoholism from brandy while living in the middle of the decadent port city of Calais.

4. Cecilia Jupe is a student who tries to make "progress" with Gradgrinds, and Dicken's ironically relates this to The Pigrim's Progress by Bunyan which is actually about avoiding sin and getting to heaven.

goog afternoon

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