The irony of Jan Skoda
Jan Skoda is a very close friend of Havel but avoids him during the dark years. Havel needs Skoda most during the hard years of normalization. Havel is confident that with the support of Skoda, the fight against impunity and political discrimination can be defeated. However, it is ironic that despite being his close schoolmate, Skoda tactfully avoids him during normalization years.
"Jan Skoda who was once a schoolmate and close friend of Havel carefully avoided him through the long, dark years of so-called normalization"
The irony of prognostics
Ironically, the prognostics are the economists. An economist should be someone educated on matters dealing with finance and economic topics. However, the prognostics are people who believe that they know. However, they have no facts about what they are predicting. It is dangerous for a country to have such individuals tasked with the responsibility of predicting economic trends. The writer states:
"The prognostics are in fact, economists. Their particular mystique comes from knowing, or believing they know, what to do about the economy - a subject high in the minds of the people on the streets, and one on which most of the philosophers, poets, actors, historians assembled slightly less expertise than the ordinary worker on the Vysocany.”
The Iiony of Voting
Voting is normally an act of casting a ballot to elect a leader democratically. However, in the story, voting has been used ironically to mean appointing and selecting. It is against the principle of democracy to appoint or put people in leadership and then claim that they have been elected through voting. The author writes:
"When I say 'voting' what happens is that the chairman chooses some names, and then others propose other names - or themselves."
The irony of democracy
Democrats should act as an example for others to follow. For instance, those fighting for democracy should be role models for others to follow. However, the author writes that those who fight for democracy cannot be democratic! It is ironic to advocate for democracy when one’s actions portray the opposite. The author writes:
“We who fight for democracy cannot ourselves be democratic”
For instance, all those people who are in the revolution forum have chosen themselves without any voting. That is undemocratic and such people cannot claim to be the ones advocating for democracy.
The irony of the Free Word
The Forum is behind the advocacy of free and fair elections to remove the Socialist Party, which is accused of many wrongdoings and a lack of democracy. The Forum has educated people and mobilized them to expect free elections. However, it is ironic that the same people who are looking for free and fair elections are queuing to get the Socialist Party Newspaper called 'The Free World". The reader does not expect the Socialist Party Newspaper to advocate for democracy and support the work of its opposition. The author writes:
“They were waiting to buy a copy of the Socialist Party newspaper, Svobodne Slovo (The Free World), which was the first to carry accurate reports of the demonstrations and Forum Statements.”
