Transcript Irony and Ambiguity

Irony and Ambiguity
Feature Menu
The Best Stories
Irony
Ambiguity
Practice
The Best Stories
The best stories are the ones that present life and
people the way they really are.
mysterious
unpredictable
complicated
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Irony
Irony is the difference between what we expect or
what seems suitable and what actually happens.
Writers include irony in stories to reflect the real
world—a world where expectations aren’t always
fulfilled and unexpected events often surprise us.
Katie’s grandfather taught her to
play chess a few weeks ago. Now,
she consistently wins matches
against her grandfather and the
other members of his chess club.
Irony
In stories, we find three kinds of irony.
• Verbal irony occurs when someone says one
thing but means the opposite.
• Situational irony occurs when an event is not
just surprising but actually contrary to what we
expected.
• Dramatic irony occurs when the audience or
the reader knows something important that the
character does not know.
Quick Check
Mr. Hapner wants to sell his old van. A
prospective buyer, Mrs. Duran, shows up
to look at the van. She notices that it is
rusty and dented, the front bumper is
missing, and the engine will barely start.
A. “Oh, sir,” she says, “are you sure you
want to part with this gem?”
B. “Oh, sir,” she says, “do you really
expect to sell this piece of junk?”
Based on the
passage, which
statement would
be an example of
verbal irony?
Quick Check
Dr. Kwan is a pet psychologist. A leader in
her field, she has received several awards
for her research and clinical successes. Dr.
Kwan publishes a book called The
Workings of a Dog’s Mind: How to Get
Unruly Dogs to Behave, and it soars up
the bestseller list.
A. Dr. Kwan gets an offer to host a
television show about pets.
B. Dr. Kwan comes home to find that her
two dogs have gnawed on several
pairs of her shoes and ruined them.
Based on the
passage, which
statement would
be an example of
situational irony?
Quick Check
Detective Boone, the main character of a
play, is trying to solve a rash of burglaries
in his precinct. The audience knows that
one of the other characters, a server at a
coffee shop frequented by the detective,
is the burglar.
Based on the
passage, which
statement would
be an example of
dramatic irony?
A. We watch as Detective Boone talks to
the server about his investigation and
shares sensitive information.
B. Another detective eventually solves
the case, and the server is arrested.
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Ambiguity
Ambiguity is an element of uncertainty in a text.
Ambiguous texts offer several conflicting
consequences or meanings that readers must sort
out.
Ambiguity
A story with an ambiguous ending or theme
• keeps us wondering
about what it means
• tends to stick in our
memory
Quick Check
Millie notices that Hector, a new student,
feels left out, so she asks him to the
school dance. Hector accepts. Later, Millie
finds out that her best friend, Cindy, likes
Hector and wants to ask him to the dance.
“Oh,” says Millie, “I’m glad you told
me. I asked him to the dance earlier, but I
just remembered that I’ve got plans. Now,
I won’t feel bad about canceling.”
When Millie’s mom picks her up from
school, Millie asks, “Mom, aren’t we
supposed to visit Grandma this weekend?
We haven’t seen her in a while.”
Describe the
ambiguity in this
story.
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Review the definition of verbal irony.
Then, write a paragraph describing a scene
between two characters. Include an ironic
statement made by one character. You might take
inspiration from one of the characters or situations
described in this presentation.
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