Irony

Connection to Music Alanis Morissette wrote a song called, “Ironic.” Let’s take a look at some of the lyrics to identify some ironic situations. Before we do, let’s make sure we have a clear understanding of the definition of irony.

Irony Is when something unexpected happens; when a contradiction (opposite of what you may think, say or do) exists between what is done (action) and where it happens (the context). Authors use this technique to create suspense, humor or unpredictability in their writing.

coincidence a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance. Sometimes irony and coincidence get mistaken for one another. Let’s look for irony and coincidence in the song lyrics.

Alanis Morissette’s “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 Who would've thought...it figures Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye He waited his whole darn life to take that flight And as the plane crashed down he thought "Well isn't this nice..." And isn't it ironic...don’t you think

Three Types of Irony Situational Verbal Dramatic When you think something will happen, but it doesn’t Verbal When you say something, but you mean something else. Remember- this is what someone SAYS, so look for the quotation marks “ ” to help you locate an example. Dramatic When the audience or the reader knows more than the characters in the story

Here are a few more real life examples Real Life Examples of Irony Assignment: Students look for examples of irony in a short story.