Irony Coming to you when you least expect it….

Irony is…the unexpected. This means that.. –Something happens that you did not see coming… You are happily skipping through a sunny meadow when an angry swarm of killer bees rise out of the blossoms! –Or, what you thought was going to happen, didn’t. But, I thought that you were going to ask me out, not her!

There are three types of Irony. Two have to do with actions… Situational Dramatic One has to do with words… Verbal

Situational Irony  Occurs when both the reader and characters are surprised by what happens or does not happen.  Example: Neither the reader nor Martin expected Martin to break his leg.  Remember: Situational = Same Surprise

Dramatic Irony  Occurs when the reader knows what is going to happen, but the character does not.  Example: When we read of the Holocaust, we know that the people are not going to hit the showers, they will die.  Remember: Dramatic = Different Knowledge

Verbal Irony  Occurs when what is said is the opposite of what is meant.  Example: Early mornings, my mom would say to my crabby self, “Good morning, Sunshine.”  Remember: Verbal = Voice

Practice  Irony means…  The three types of irony are…

Examples  While looking up at the basketball players knees, you say, “How about an autograph, Shorty?”  We see the murderous clown creeping around outside of the house, yet the little blonde actress heads to the porch alone to call her BFF.  When he tries to attack, the clown is mauled, as she is skilled in Karate.

Examples, con’t  At Michael Jackson’s funeral, everyone’s mourning is interrupted as he jumps out of his casket and moonwalks down the isle.  Three-quarters of the way through a novel, we learn that the character is not really dying of cancer as we all thought, he just has diabetes.