Left by the one who was supposed to protect him (situational irony)
Joe’s relationship with his father is always tense and Joe feels a deeper connection with his mother than his father. When Joe’s mother died when he was a young child, Harry made Joe move out when he married another woman. The situation is ironic because Joe was only 10 years old when he was asked to move out and then he had to learn how to take care for himself.
The rich are not the best (situational irony)
In the 1930s, the University scene was dominated by rich children. Only those who came from good families had the opportunity to go to college and remain there for a couple of years. Ironically, however, in the rowing team, the ones who made it were the ones who came from modest families. This proved that the rich kids, despite their arrogant attitude, were not the best, even at a supposedly upper-class sport.
Ignorance of impending catastrophe (dramatic irony)
For years, news about what was really happening in Germany reached other European countries, and not only these. America was informed about Hitler’s ruthless behavior from his first day as a German leader but America and its leaders refused to believe the news. What is even more ironical, the common people refused to believe in what they were told and continued to claim that everything was alright. This however was not the case and when the truth came out, the Americans had to change their perspective quickly.
Getting worse (situational irony)
In his freshman year, Joe and his team won numerous competitions. Their biggest win was on Lake Washington and after that race the team felt confident that they could win every other competition. Ironically, instead of becoming better, the rowing team became worst and they no longer were able to work as swiftly and easily as they did before the race on Lake Washington.
