Irony 3 Kinds of Irony

Irony is about expectations. What is Irony? Irony is about expectations. Irony: literary techniques that involve surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions; the differences between the way things appear and what the reality is, or between expectations and result

Irony = the opposite of what is expected 3 kinds: Verbal Dramatic Situational

Verbal Irony words used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning; an expression, often humorous or sarcastic, that exposes perversity or absurdity  A character says one thing but means the opposite Examples I love the smell of wet garbage on a rainy morning! Lucky us. Another homework packet!

Dramatic Irony contradiction between what the character thinks & what the reader knows to be true You know something that a character doesn’t. Example The babysitter locks herself into the bathroom to hide from an intruder, only we know he is hiding in the bathtub . Alex writes a love poem to Judy but we know that Judy loves Devin.

Situational Irony what actually happens is the opposite and directly contradicts character or readers’ expectations  Something about the situation is completely unexpected. Example Bill Gates uses an Apple computer. A man jumps back on the sidewalk to avoid a speeding car, only to be knocked out by a speeding bicyclist.

Something that is ironic is unexpected. Review Something that is ironic is unexpected. If words are opposite of what is meant, it’s verbal. If unexpected by a character, it’s dramatic. If unexpected by everyone, it’s situational.