Irony in His Blood - Alanis Morisette in M. Butterfly

In English 201, we read about opera legend Maria Callas.  Many say she was the perfect singer to interpret the tragedy of the Madame Butterfly.  Here, I select Alanis Morisette to voice the irony. 

And Isn't it "Ironic..." Don't You Think?

The voice of Maria Callas may be perfect for Madama Butterfly. Here, the lyrics from Alanis Morisette's "Ironic" fit nicely to the text of M. Butterfly: “And isn’t it ironic…” Many people have criticized Alanis’ interpretation of irony in the song. Irony is the use of words to express the opposite of what is expected. They say her lines are weird or funny, but they are not ironic. For example, “like rain on your wedding day.” Stuff happens. The weather on you wedding day may be unfortunate, but it’s not ironic. Still, I like the song. You can’t say that the lyrics won’t make you think about possibility and expectation. What goes through the mind of a ninety-eight year old man who wins the lottery? How can he expect to spend his money? He’ll probably have a heart attack trying to figure it out. In M. Butterfly, Rene must have felt the same way for his relationship with Song. He had waited his whole life for her, and when he finally found her in his arms, he didn't know what to do with her. For Rene, Song gave him everything that he had ever wished for, and it killed him. That’s both funny and cruel.

Alanis Morissette Lyrics – “Ironic”	David Hwang Text – M. ButterflIy
It's the good advice that you just didn't take Who would've thought, it figures...	This is the ultimate cruelty, isn’t it? That I can talk and talk and to anyone listening, it’s only air — too rich a diet to be swallowed by a mundane world.Why can’t anyone understand? That in China, I once loved, and was loved by, the Perfect Woman. ( Act Two – Scene 11 )
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife It's meeting the man of my dreams	The love of a Butterfly can withstand many things — unfaithfulness, loss, even abandonment. But how can it face theone sin that implies all others? The devastating knowledge that,underneath it all,the object of her love was nothing more,nothing less than … a man. (Act Three – Scene Three)
He won the lottery and died the next day It’s a black fly in your Chardonnay	My mistakes were simple and absolute — the man I loved was a cad, a bounder. He deserved nothing but a kick in the behind and instead I gave him … all my love … ( Act Three – Scene Three)