Manny's ascent to heaven (Situational Irony)
"The first words out of the pastor's mouth were 'We are not here to mourn a death. We're here to celebrate a life, gone on to glory.' Manny didn't even believe in heaven and hell. Jus can imagine him saying: The only place I've 'gone on' to is that overpriced casket" (125).
In these lines, Justyce points out the irony behind the pastor's opening statements during Manny's funeral service. We can assume the rest of the funeral attendants expect this kind of message from the pastor and they allow it to soothe them in this incredibly difficult moment. Jus, however, knows how his best friend really felt about religion, and he can hear Manny's voice in his head making a sarcastic comment about the pastor's reassurances that Manny has "gone to glory."
The Juvie (Situational Irony)
"The first thing Jus notices when he pulls into the visitor lot of the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center is how much the building reminds him of a high school. It makes his stomach twist a little. Holding kids deemed menaces to society in a place that would be completely normal if not for the barbed-wire-topped fences seems like someone's bad idea of a joke. Like, Oh, look at this nice-ass school. . . HA! GOTCHA! LOCKDOWN, FOOL!" (138).
In this passage, Jus recognizes the situational irony underscoring the fact that Quan Bank's juvie looks like a school. The similarity in appearance between juvie and a school stands out to Jus because they have starkly contrasting positions in society—schools are respected and seen and positive institutions while juvenile detention centers are generally regarded as places of ignominy. Despite this, both of these buildings house teenagers. In Jus's mind, the juvie shouldn't look as innocuous and "everyday" as a school does. Nevertheless, juvies exist, and the people inside of them are part of society, whether or not they are seen that way by members of their community. Jus also recognizes that the fact that the juvie looks like a school disguises its true purpose; the teenagers inside are not being nurtured inside its walls. Instead, they are being highly controlled and policed; their freedom is extremely limited.
Mr. Rivers's Termination (Verbal Irony)
"According to CEO Chuck Wallace, photographs of Mr. Rivers on the front lines of an Atlanta march that shut down traffic for hours last week triggered the loss of several high-profile clients and approximately $80 million in revenue for the asset management firm. In a press release yesterday afternoon, Wallace stated: 'While we respect the gravity of the tragic loss of a child, involvement in publicly disruptive activity is grounds for investigation and potential dismissal. Mr. Rivers has been a tremendous asset at Davidson Wells for well over nineteen years, and while we hate to see him go, we've mutually agreed to part ways'" (155).
The passage above comes from the news article that appears after Chapter 18 entitled "VP Released for Rabble-Rousing!" Chuck Wallace's comment constitutes a kind of verbal irony in several ways. First, because Wallace is using coded language in regards to the rationale behind Mr. Rivers's dismissal from the firm. While he says that it is because of Mr. Rivers's "involvement in publicly disruptive activity," readers can assume that Mr. Rivers was more likely fired because several high-profile clients left the firm as a result of Mr. Rivers's controversial involvement with the protests. Furthermore, Wallace saying that he and Mr. Rivers "mutually agreed to part ways" is verbal irony because it is clear from the context that Mr. Rivers was fired, and thus the decision was far from "mutual."
In the next chapter, we are given more context into Mr. Rivers's dismissal: "The day the Riverses shared their relocation plans, they also told Jus that Mr. Julian had received an ultimatum. Basically: Sever all ties with that so-called movement or clear out of that corner office (in so many words). Mr. Julian told Jus he 'calmly explained the meaning of civil disobedience' before removing his framed degrees from the wall" (157). With this new information, we can clearly see that Wallace's statements above were not transparent or fully truthful. Therefore, they constitute verbal irony.
Mama's comment (Verbal Irony)
"'That's funny. I've learned more about my son in the past two hours than I've known in four years, and now he wants to talk to me?'" (181).
This passage is an example of verbal irony because Jus's mom is saying the opposite of what she actually means. The beginning of her statement—"That's funny"—is an example of sarcasm. Mama does not actually find this situation funny at all. Rather, she is angry that her son has withheld his recent visits with Quan Banks and Martel from her and hid the fact that he is in a relationship with SJ from her. She uses hyperbole to describe how these revelations make her feel: "'I've learned more about my son in the past two hours than I've known in four years.'" In a literal sense, this is probably not true. However, it demonstrates how far away and isolated Mama feels from Jus ever since he started attending Bras Prep. It seems like she feels he has changed into a completely different person.
