A RANTING

which has no business in criticism, but I'm not criticizing, I'm pondering . . .

Isn't it a wonder that the most common and respected literary and rhetorical device is called irony? Etymologically, the word draws “feigned ignorance”, but it really pertains to the incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs, or the significance of something as opposed to its mere physical mass. Irony draws you to what's missing, or lost, or should be available by stating its opposite, as looking out on storm-tossed seas and saying, “my, what lovely weather we're having!”

Today, it could be considered ironic to say magic spirits inhabit exanimate rocks. But, by its ancient conceptualization and through its continued importance as a tool in our communication, isn't that suspicious of a hidden arcanum behind its modern usage?

Societies continuously change the definition of things when they become inappropriate or unpopular. During WWII, it was called the War Department because it waged war. Now, even though America is involved in a pre-emptive war, the same organization is called the Defense Department. But the original purpose remains the same: smite enemies, period.

Wouldn't it be ironic that, all along, not gold but iron —strong, stable, dumb iron—was the true vessel to magic and therefore wealth and power?

But then, if you iron a rug, does it make it fly?

© copyright 10/04/2006 by Larry Crawford