Missing home
In the poem "There is a boat down the quay’’ the narrator talks about the sailors who used to go with their boats in the middle of the sea and the narrator transmits the idea that he was envying them for the freedom they had. The narrator portrays their lives as being perfect in the beginning of the poem but his attitude changes towards the end. Then, the narrator claims, ironically, that even though the life of a sailor is a good one, there are also certain negative aspects such as how they miss their families and friends.
He never could
In the poem "Geography lesson’’ the narrator talks about his teaches and how he dreamt of visiting faraway lands. The teacher never followed through with his plans and he eventually died without ever visiting those places. When the narrator grew, he visited the places mentioned by the professor as well. The reason why the narrator visited those places is not because he wanted to but because he did not want to end as his teacher. Because of this, ironically, he fulfilled someone else’s dream instead of his own.
Say no
In the poem "Party Piece’’ the narrator tries to convince a woman to have sex with him. Initially she refuses, claiming she could never do something like that. As time passes however, she changes her mind and the two end up being involved in a sexual relationship. If we take this into consideration we reach the conclusion that the lady’s behavior was ironic.
Simple tests
In the poem "Minister for Exams’’ the narrator talks about a period in his life when he was in school and had to take various tests. The narrator claimed the tests were easy and that there was no way anyone could have failed them. He then lists the questions he was asked to prove just how easy it was. Ironically, the narrator ends the poem by claiming he failed all the exams he took in his life.
Street sweeper
At the end of the poem "The Minister for Exams’’ the narrator mentions how he became a street sweeper and how he sometimes worked in hotels, cleaning. This information is ironic especially when taking in consideration the fact that the narrator claims he did well in school and how he passed all his exams.
