Irony of this poem: not by me?

Question

Mid-Term Break

I sat all morning in the college sick bay
Counting bells knelling classes to a close.
At two o'clock our neighbors drove me home.

In the porch I met my father crying-
He had always taken funerals in his stride-
And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow.

The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram
When I came in, and I was embarrassed
By old men standing up to shake my hand

And tell me they were "sorry for my trouble,"
Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest,
Away at school, as my mother held my hand

In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs.
At ten o'clock the ambulance arrived
With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurse.

Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops
And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him
For the first time in six weeks. Paler now,

Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple,
He lay in the four foot box as in his cot.
No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear.

A four foot box, a foot for every year.


That was the poem, can some one help me determine the irony?

Umm, first of all it took me 5 minutes to type this, second, this poem is suppose to be ironic. My english teacher assigned this, so I believe there is some irony in this poem.

And yes I thought about this question for a hour and so, so please don't blame me.

Answer 1

I think the irony is that the break is not for the eldest, but for his younger brother--a break in his life. And though it was a "hard blow" for his father, it was still harder for the boy who was killed by a car at age 4. It could also be considered ironic that the eldest was in the sick bay, but it was not illness that led to death, nor was it his death, but a car killing his younger brother. Plus one might consider it ironic that the child's life was cut short.

Answer 2

This is just a guess, but maybe the irony is at the beginning. The Title says it's midterm break ..and they are counting down the hours till classes end. The reason for counting down the hours could be the irony.Most would be doing so for a vacation...and normally so would the author... but now the author is doing so to go home for this tragedy.
Other than that I don't see anything else that could be considered ironic.

Answer 3

The irony of life, work hard and get a wife Then you will see everything was meant to be

Answer 4

Uhm, that's just disturbing, not ironic.

The only thing that stands out is that the timeline doesn't make sense. He left school a 2 o'clock, presumably 2pm. The ambulance arrived at 10p.m>

??

The only thing remotely ironic is the soothing candles by the corpse....who are they meant to soothe?

Answer 5

thats a hard on ei couldnt figure it out but i think it has something to do with the timing. she was in class at 2pm, an di assumed when she got a ride home this accident already happened. but at 10 oclock was when tha ambulance arrived. i'm positive it has to do with that.

Answer 6

Poems are made by fools. I fear
I may be running out of beer.

Answer 7

I don't see any irony.

Answer 8

Wow, in the time it took you to type that I'm betting you could have come up with something.

Answer 9

the baby is unaffected by the sorrow around them and goes on wth life while everyone is mourning, and they are all in pain and the boy is dead with no pain

when someone dies you are sorry for your lose of the person dead

Answer 10

Uhhhhhhh...