Ariel Brentwood
Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, is the inherent irony in the title of Heinlein’s 1957 story “The Menace from Earth.” Putting a twist on the lurid titles of science fiction B-movies of the decade, the threat comes not to earth, but from it. The real irony is that this menace is Ariel Brentwood, a sophisticated woman described by the narrator as having “nylon skin, soft, wavy, silver-blond hair, basic specs about 35-24-34.”
"They"
The irony of “They” is expressed in a familiar idiomatic expression: it’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you. The protagonist is a patient in a mental institution making outrageous claims that his entire world is a fiction constructed by some unknown “they” out to control everything about him. The story has a dual irony: he’s actually right, but he never discovers this truth for himself.
"Columbus was a Dope"
Some guys are tossing back drinks in a bar and discussing the building of a starship. The main topic of this conversation a comparison between the Age of Exploration and the coming exploration of the cosmos. Columbus expected to return home whereas those aboard the starship can expect to spend sixty years just getting to where they’re going. Another man says his father favored a law that would have banned flying machines because man wasn’t intended to fly. The ending of the story is an ironic twist: the conversation is taking place in the future inside a bar on the moon.
D.D. Harriman
“The Man who Sold the Moon” tells of the early life of D.D. Harriman, a man who pursued commercial funding of space travel f0r—surprise—less than noble intentions. Harriman essentially is pursuing a dream to not only become the first person to travel to the moon, but to establish in the name of ownership; he has developed a complex plan that would allow commercial ownership of the moon and take it out of the hands of government control. Almost single-handedly, he pursues his goal of launching craft to the moon and fulfilling his dream of making it there himself. Success comes an ironically high price for Harriman, however, when majority investors deem him far too valuable a commodity in his own right to risk losing on a space flight.
"Coventry"
The story of David MacKinnon, the protagonist of “Coventry” is definitely ironic, but the question remains open to whether is intended to be purely satirical. MacKinnon resides in the American of a distant future where antisocial behavior is treated with an option: one can either undergo a drug treatment for behavior modification or one can be sent to Coventry and maintain the spirit of their character. MacKinnon—who only expression of anti-social criminality was throwing a punch—chooses freedom over fascism. Or does he? The ultimate effect of being “sent to Coventry” ironically turns out to an even more effective modifying behavior into conformity.
