Isn’t it ironic?A lesson on irony

Irony comes from the Greek word eironeia, meaning “a withholding of

knowledge.”

IRONY

What is it?

•a contrast or discrepancy between

expectations and reality- between

what is said and what is really meant,

between what is expected and what

really happens, or between what

appears to be true and what is really

true.

IRONY

There are THREE different kinds of irony:

1. Verbal irony

2. Situational irony

3. Dramatic irony

What do you think each one is?

VERBAL IRONY

•This is when a writer or speaker says one thing BUT really means the opposite.

Example: When Zaroff says “Oh, yes . . .I have electricity. We try to be very civilized here.” But we know that Zaroff is anything but civilized!

What does this remind you of?

EXAMPLES OF VERBAL IRONY

•Saying “Of course I believe you,” when you do not believe the person at all.

•Saying “Nice weather” when it is raining . . .unless of course you like the rain.

Can you think of any others?

What do you notice about these statements?

SITUATIONAL IRONY

•This is when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected.

Example: In The Wizard of Oz, everyone is afraid of the mighty ruler of Oz. However, he turns out to be a little con man.

EXAMPLES OF SITUATIONAL IRONY

•Martha Stewart going from being the quintessential homemaker to being an inmate in a prison.

•A police officer being charged with obstruction of justice when he/she should be protecting justice.

Can you think of any others?

DRAMATIC IRONY

•This occurs when the audience or reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know.Example: Oedipus, the ruler of Thebes, promises to punish the man whose sins have brought a plague upon the city. What he does not know, but the audience does, is that he is the evil-doer.

EXAMPLES OF DRAMATIC IRONY

•You watch a character in a horror movie head directly to where the killer is hiding. You want to shout “No! Don’t go in there!” because you know details the character does not.

•Little Red Riding Hood knocking on Grandmother’s door unaware that Grandmother has been replaced by a wolf, yet the reader knows this.Where do we tend to find a lot of examples of

dramatic irony?

Why be ironic?

• Irony has a lot of uses in literature.1.Irony is connected to theme.

Ironic situations remind us that though we think we can control our lives, chance or the unexpected often has the last word.

2. Surprises make the story more interesting to read.

3.Irony is emotionally touching in fiction because it often has a lot of truth in it.

How is it ironic?

Look at the following examples and determine what type of irony is being presented.

How many have you learned about irony?

How is it ironic?

SITUATIONAL IRONY

How is it ironic?

SITUATIONAL IRONY

How is it ironic?

VERBAL IRONY

How is it ironic?

SITUATIONAL IRONY

How is it ironic?

DRAMATIC IRONY

How is it ironic?

DRAMATIC IRONY

How is it ironic?

VERBAL IRONY

How is it ironic?

SITUATIONAL IRONY