Sizwe Tells His Wife That He Is Dead (Situational / Dramatic / Verbal irony)
Ironically, a dead man allows Sizwe to survive and stay in South Africa. A man who has nothing to live for and seemingly nothing to offer ultimately saves Sizwe's life. Early in the play, Sizwe writes a letter to his wife and informs her that "Sizwe Bansi is dead." He is, in fact, not literally dead, but has merely given up his old name in order to live in Port Elizabeth. Sizwe explains, at the end of the letter, that the old version of himself is dead, but he is still alive. This aspect of the play is an example of situational, dramatic, and verbal irony. It begins with a dead man saving a life, an instance of situational irony, but then shifts to dramatic irony, as the reader is aware that Sizwe is not dead, while his wife and the authorities are unaware of this fact. Finally, it showcases verbal irony when Sizwe tells Nowetu that he is not in fact dead but was using that alarming phrase to capture his unusual situation. Sizwe is both dead and alive; while physically alive, he has forever lost his name and identity.
Styles Says the Customer is Always Right (Situational Irony)
Early on, Styles says that a good photographer always lets the customer take charge. If someone asks to take a photo sitting down or standing up, he acquiesces. However, when Sizwe arrives, he immediately bombards him with suggestions, telling him he should use a backdrop and various props. In this moment of situational irony, the reader sees that Styles actually has a fairly forthright manner with his customers and can be quick to make assessments about what he thinks they should be doing.
Styles Believes That His Photographs Capture People's Essences (Dramatic Irony)
Styles says that he believes his photographs capture something essential about all of his customers. He mentions this while discussing the father of one of his customers. He thinks his pictures document people's authentic personal histories. However, he is unaware of the fact that he is helping Sizwe actually impersonate someone else by forging his papers. In this instance of dramatic irony, Styles believes he is accurately portraying his subject, but has instead failed to perceive an act of deception of which the reader is aware.
Henry Ford Does Not Step Inside the Factory (Situational Irony)
Styles says that when he worked at a car factory, Henry Ford was scheduled to visit. His boss made the workers prepare exhaustively for the visit, painting and cleaning with great intensity. His boss repeatedly emphasizes the importance of this visit. Eventually Ford arrives in a caravan of cars and then does not step foot in the factory, leaving just as soon as he comes. In this example of situational irony, the visit that had been so talked up by the factory management ends up being a complete bust.
