Weak Hearted (Situational Irony):
When Mr. Ewing is being shown the fields where the slaves work, he is distracted by a sort of chanting. He walks towards the noise and realizes there’s a slave being whipped. The slave is shown to slowly open his eyes and eventually their eyes lock. Here, it seems the slave might lose pass out but, Ironically, the slave who is being whipped does not. Rather, it is Mr. Ewing who loses consciousness.
Incarnations:
The biggest irony of the film lies in the character reincarnations. They are the exact opposite of each other’s stories. The character of Vyvyan is considered a musical genius, whereas in another incarnation he is a struggling editor, called Timothy Cavendish, who is mixed up with the wrong people. Similarly, the story of Mr. Ewing is introduced as that of a slave trader. While in another incarnation he is introduced as Hae-Joo Chang, a rebel who rescues the enslaved clone Sonmi - 451. Another irony is that of Robert Frobisher. He composes an incredible piece and in a future incarnation is just a store clerk who is listening to his previous incarnation’s work.
Knuckle Sandwich:
When Dermot throws the critic named Finch from the roof, everyone present is shown to be shocked and stunned. They do not move. Ironically, instead of showing Dermot getting arrested they show his increasing popularity and rising public heroic status.
Flashbacks:
In the beginning of the film, a writer is shown using a typewriter and saying that he himself has disdain for flashbacks while, ironically, the film itself is going through a flashback. It almost seems like the makers of the film are trying to tell the audience to sit through the long length of the film and have patience as it all unfolds bit by bit.
Fresh Start (Situational Irony):
When Timothy arrives at Aurora house he is hopeful that this will be a new start for him and that he will enjoy a bit of peace. Ironically, he later finds out that he has been played by his brother Denny and has been checked into an old people’s home. He no longer has the freedom to start fresh as he wanted to.
