There are many instances of irony in this text. One of the first is when Miss Vera Claythorne observes and reads the poem above the fireplace. The poem is about ten little soldier boys who each die, one by one, in strange ways.

The poem reminds Miss Claythorne of being a child, which suggests that she is charmed by its story and its whimsical rhymes. After reading it, she smiles and realizes its significance: they are on an island called Soldier Island.

The fact that she smiles when she reads this is quite ironic. Irony is used in literature to deliberately indicate a difference between what actually happens and what is expected to happen. Miss Claythorne assumes that this is a charming little rhyme meant to remind the reader of happy childhood days and become more in touch with the island’s identity. But in reality, the rhyme is a way for the person who organized this deadly game to create a sense of fear and suspense among everyone on the island. As each person starts dying, the people who remain begin to notice that the order of the deaths and the way in which people have died reflects the order of the deaths in the rhyme. This begins to scare everyone and make them all paranoid.