Frank's Censorship (Situational Irony)
Frank, Joe Schoefield's editor, insists Joe frame his Tank Man follow-up story as a celebration of America's commitment to freedom of speech. In his praise for America, Frank criticizes China's strict censorship laws and "propaganda." However, later in the play, the newspaper's parent company asks Frank to "kill" Joe's story since the company plans to expand into the Chinese market. Thus, Frank's choice to censor Joe makes him complicit in Chinese censorship and inadvertently proves his beliefs about America's values to be false.
Joe's Gallery Show (Situational Irony)
Joe angrily rejects Tess's offer to use a photograph he took of children fishing in a polluted river on a credit card, as there is a "ceiling on how much money" he is willing to make from photographs of others' suffering. In particular, Joe objects to using the image on a credit card because manufacturing and hyperconsumerism were what led to the river being polluted, and these forces are symbolically represented by credit cards.
However, at the end of the play, Joe loses his job and makes money by presenting his protest photographs at a gallery showing sponsored by the major credit card company American Express. Joe sells his work, including the Tank Man photograph, for thousands of dollars. Ironically, Joe abandons his stated values and profits from a company he earlier condemned. To add greater insult to injury, Joe's photos all depict acts of bravery and defiance, highlighting Joe's cowardice and compliance with oppressive institutions.
Liuli's Interview (Dramatic Irony)
In a flashback scene, Liuli gives an interview during the Tiananmen Square Protests, excitedly imagining her future family and describing her hopes for her unborn child. However, the audience knows Liuli dies during the protests, making her belief in the future an example of dramatic irony.
The Unknown Hero (Verbal Irony)
Wang Pengsi (Jimmy Wang) pays for a memorial for his brother, the "Unsung Hero" of the 1989 protests. Joe assumes that the "Unknown Hero" refers to the Tank Man, an anonymous figure who bravely risked his life to defy the military. However, the "Unknown Hero" is actually the tank driver that the Tank Man confronted. The title "Unknown Hero" is ironic because, in Joe's interpretation of the protests, the Chinese military is the undisputed "villain." Wang Pengfei's heroic refusal to kill a civilian disrupts expectations and adds nuance to the audience's understanding of the conflict.
