Transcript Irony - Middle school

Irony
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Irony: the opposite of what you might expect to
happen
Three Types of irony:
Dramatic Irony: When the reader or
audience knows more about the events
of a story than a character.
Dramatic Irony Example
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The most obvious example of this is when
the young lady in the slasher flick doesn’t
realize that the guy in the hockey mask with
the meat cleaver is hiding behind the hot
tub—but we do.
Dramatic Irony Example
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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. When
Romeo finds Juliet in a drugged sleep, he
assumes her to be dead and kills himself. Upon
awakening to find her dead lover beside her,
Juliet then kills herself.
Dramatic Irony Example
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If you’re watching a movie about the Titanic and
a character leaning on the balcony right before
the ship hits the iceberg says, "It's so beautiful I
could just die," that’s an example of dramatic
irony.
3 Types of Irony
Situational Irony: When what actually
happens is the opposite of what is
expected or appropriate.
Situational Irony Example
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The Psychic Friends Network went
bankrupt due to “unforeseen
circumstances.”
It's raining and you don't want to get wet. You
open an umbrella and walk into the rain only to
discover that there is a hole in the umbrella and
you get soaking wet.
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In 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', Dorothy goes
to a wizard to fulfill her wish to go home before
discovering that she had the ability to go back
home all this while. The Scarecrow longs for
intelligence only to discover that he is a genius,
just as the Tin man longs to be capable of love
only to discover that he has a heart. Similarly, the
Lion who at first seems to be a coward, turns
out to be very courageous.
3 Types of Irony
Verbal Irony: A character says one thing but
really means the opposite; aka, sarcasm.
Verbal Irony Examples
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“I can’t wait to start writing these fortyseven reports.”
“My walk home was only twenty-three
blocks.”
The simple comment, "Oh Great" after
something rotten happens is verbal irony.
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The movie Shrek is a perfect example when it
comes to verbal ironies. The little spats that
Donkey and Shrek keep having are really the
best way to understand this figure of speech.
Donkey: Can I stay with you? Please?
Shrek: Of course.
Donkey: Really?
Shrek: NO.
Coincidence is Not Irony
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As George Carlin and others have pointed out,
sportscasters, particularly baseball announcers, have an
irony problem. Many of them simply don’t understand
what the word means. Usually they mistake
coincidence for situational irony. For example, an
announcer might say,
“It’s ironic that Stubby McGillicutty broke the
single season RBI record in Anaheim where Angel
great Jackie Fullcup, whose record McGillicutty
broke, spent his entire career.”
No. IT’S COINCIDENTAL.
Which Type of Irony?
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State whether the following are examples of verbal irony, situational
irony, dramatic irony or not ironic in any way.
1. “Oh, great! It’s raining and I forgot
my umbrella.”
2. I failed the test because I did not study.
3. Dave’s blood pressure medication gave him a
heart attack.
4. Batman doesn’t know that the Joker is waiting
for him, but the audience does.
5. Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly SLO are both
located in California.
6. The box of airdropped humanitarian aid landed
on the refugee and killed him.
7. I missed the job interview because I overslept.
8. “Thank you for this ticket, Officer. You just
made my day.”
9. Three celebrities died in three separate plane
crashes yesterday.
“Ironic”
An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids
goodbye
He waited his whole life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need
is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife