Scythe Goddard thinks he's very different from Scythe Faraday, but they both try to turn Rowan into a weapon (Situational Irony)
Scythe Faraday wants Rowan, and all scythes, to be a weapon in the hands of the people. As he says to Citra, "a scythe is merely the instrument of death, but it is your hand that swings me...[you] and everyone else in this world are the wielders of scythes."
Scythe Goddard considers Scythe Faraday and his philosophy extremely outdated, and he goes out of his way to take Rowan on as an apprentice. Scythe Goddard intends to counteract Faraday by winning Rowan over, proving that Goddard's philosophy is stronger. However, without realizing it, Scythe Goddard has a very similar intention for Rowan, saying "You are a fine weapon, Rowan, sharp, and precise. And when you strike, you are glorious to behold." In trying to override Scythe Faraday's instruction, Scythe Goddard guides Rowan in a similar philosophical direction, with weapon imagery communicating the similarity.
Scythe Goddard thinks Rowan is grateful (Dramatic and Verbal Irony)
Though Scythe Goddard believes that he's winning Rowan over, the reader knows that Rowan is full of contempt for the scythe and his behavior. In this example of dramatic irony, the reader knows what Scythe Goddard doesn't: the stronger he makes Rowan, the stronger Rowan's hate for him grows. This is most clearly illustrated by the unconventional journal excerpt before Chapter 29, where Rowan writes his true thoughts ("I am apprenticed to a monster"), burns them, and then writes what he wants Scythe Goddard to read. The second journal entry features both verbal and dramatic irony, as Rowan writes, "Someday I hope I can repay him, and give him what he deserves in return for all he's done for me." Where Scythe Goddard reads gratitude from his loyal apprentice, the reader understands that Rowan's kind-seeming words are actually a threat.
Citra is accused of the same crime she's investigating (Situational Irony)
It is ironic that Citra—the only person investigating Scythe Faraday's suspicious self-gleaning—is the one accused of murdering him. Of all crimes he could charge her with, High Blade Xenocrates chooses the one that Citra herself is investigating. This is perhaps deliberate irony on the part of Scythe Goddard, who's a notorious showman—soon after Rowan hints that Citra is investigating Faraday's death (and suspects Goddard), Citra is arrested for that crime. This arrest was presumably done on Scythe Goddard's command, since he is blackmailing High Blade Xenocrates.
The job requirement is that you refuse the job (Situational Irony)
According to Scythe Faraday and other "old-guard" scythes, the first requirement for becoming a scythe is refusing to be a scythe. In this example of situational irony, the people most suited for a job are the people who would never do that job, which makes it very, very difficult to recruit suitable candidates. This ironic tension drives Scythe Faraday to take on two apprentices, as it's so rare to find eligible candidates.
