Download Irony - TeacherWeb

IRONY MINI-LESSON
ELA 7
Perseverance: “The Ransom of Red Chief”
Learning Objectives:
•
Students will be able to define irony.
•
Students will be able to identify the three kinds of irony.
•
Students will be able to evaluate a situation for irony.
IRONY
A contradiction between what happens and what you
expect to happen
Examples:
 A fireman is afraid of fire.

A dentist has crooked teeth and cavities galore.

You shout, “I’m not upset!” but your fists are
clenched, your eyes look like they are ready to pop
out, and your face is the color of tomato red.
THREE KINDS OF IRONY
1.
2.
3.
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
Situational Irony
VERBAL IRONY


saying one thing but meaning another
the character and the reader are aware of the
irony
Examples:
1.
1.
2.
As your teacher is signing detention forms for
students who did not complete their homework, she
says in an irritated voice, “I just love when students
don’t do their homework!”
It’s raining cats and dogs outside. You took the day
off from work today to finally put up a fence post
because of your annoying neighbors. You express,
“This weather is just lovely.”
Your friend spoils the ending of a movie for you,
and you comment in a haughty tone, “Thanks a lot!”
VERBAL IRONY
IMPORTANT: Verbal irony does not equal sarcasm!
sarcasm = the use of irony to mock or
convey contempt
Ex: You see your co-worker sitting down reading the
newspaper and drinking coffee, so you say, “Wow! You
look really busy!”
Here, you are using verbal irony to express
your irritation and discontent with your coworker.
So, remember, sarcasm includes verbal
irony, but not all verbal irony is
DRAMATIC IRONY

The reader/audience knows something
about a character’s situation that a
character does not know.

The reader/audience is aware of the irony.

The character is unaware of the irony.
DRAMATIC IRONY CONTINUED
Examples:
 In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, we know that Brutus is
plotting to kill Julius Caesar, but Julius Caesar does not
know this. He thinks that Brutus is a loyal man to him.

In Cinderella, the prince goes searching for the
“princess” who lost her slipper at the ball. The prince
does not know that she is a poor girl, almost a slave to
her stepsisters and stepmother. It is ironic because we
know the owner of the shoe is Cinderella, a poor girl,
but he thinks it is a girl who comes from great wealth.
SITUATIONAL IRONY

the outcome of a situation is inconsistent
with what one expects would logically or
normally occur

what actually happens is not what is
expected to happen

the character and the reader are unaware
of the irony
SITUATIONAL IRONY

Example:
 You
expect a prince to
rescue the princess
locked in a tower and
guarded by a dragon.
 Therefore,
in the movie
Shrek, an ogre saving the
princess is the opposite of
what you expect to
happen.
REVIEW
Something that is ironic is unexpected.
If everyone is aware, it’s verbal.
If unexpected by a character, it’s dramatic.
If unexpected by everyone, it’s situational.
Name:
IRONY NOTES
Teacher:
ELA Period:
Date:
What is IRONY?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Definition
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
Situational Irony
Example
IRONY PRACTICE




What kind of irony is in the above cartoon? _____________________________________
Explain:
What kind of irony is in the above cartoon? _____________________________________
Explain:
IRONY PRACTICE
Example
Type of Irony Explanation
There is a rat infestation at the health
department.
Mother: “I see you just ironed your shirt.”
Son: “Huh? I just dug it out of the
hamper.”
A person tweets about what a waste of
time Twitter is.
The Emperor is parading through the
town without any clothes. We know he is
naked, but he thinks he has on a beautiful
suit made of gold.
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
Situational Irony