2. Irony and Satire The Power of Words

3. What Is Irony? Irony is the contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality. Irony surprises because what happens is not what we expect. It catches us off guard and sometimes makes us laugh.

4. Three Kinds of Irony Three kinds of irony are verbal irony situational irony dramatic irony

5. Verbal Irony Verbal irony occurs when a speaker says one thing but means the opposite. “So, you don’t read much, do you?” © 2003 clipart.com

6. Verbal Irony An extreme form of verbal irony is sarcasm. “I see you’ve finally figured out the library’s five-book limit.” © 2003 clipart.com Sarcasm may use taunting praise to indicate the opposite meaning. Sarcastic remarks are intended to criticize.

7. Verbal Irony You are arguing with your mother, who reprimands you for being "smart." Your reply is a sarcastic, "If you think I am smart, then why won't you let me make some smart decisions?" Your boyfriend shows up in ripped up jeans and a stained t-shirt. With a smirk, you say, "Oh! I see you dressed up for our date. We must be going to a posh restaurant."

8. Situational Irony Situational irony occurs when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate. Storytellers can use situational irony to create plot twists. © 2003 clipart.com

9. Situational Irony You break a date with your girlfriend so you can go to the ball game with the guys. When you go to the concession stand, you run into your date who is with another guy. You stay up all night studying for a test. When you go to class, you discover the test is not until the next day.

10. Dramatic Irony Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience knows something important that the character does not know. Dramatic irony may be humorous produce a sense of dread © 2003 clipart.com

11. Dramatic Irony Have you ever seen a horror movie that has a killer on the loose? You, and the rest of the audience, know that the teenagers should not go walking in the woods late at night, but they think a midnight stroll would be romantic. Needless to say, the teens become the next victims. When watching a talk show, the audience knows why a person has been brought on the show. However, the person sitting in a chair does not know that he is going to be reunited with a former lover. This adds to the suspense and humor of the show.

12. What Is Satire? Satire is a type of writing that ridicules human weakness, vice, or folly in order to bring about social reform. Writers may use satire to gently persuade people to change their own behavior or societal customs expose and attack human stupidity and wickedness

13. The Tools of Satire To create satire, writers may use irony wit exaggeration

14. The Tools of Satire Statement: “There’s nothing like the death of a wealthy great-aunt to reunite the long-lost members of a family.” Translation: “Family members who didn’t care about each other will suddenly appear if money is involved.” Satirists use irony to point out human weakness.

15. The Tools of Satire Satirists use wit to make readers laugh at their own weaknesses. They hope that readers will realize their faults and correct them. Wit combines deft phrasing with keen insight, often pointing out incongruous or unexpected ideas. She is a peacock in everything but beauty. Oscar Wilde

16. The Tools of Satire Satirists use exaggeration to overstate something to make it look absurd or worse than it really is. © 2003 clipart.com

17. Match the terms with their correct definitions. Writers use _____________ when they overstate something to make it seem worse than it really is. Writers use _____________ when they state one thing but mean the opposite. Writers use _____________ when they let the readers or audience know something that is hidden from the characters. verbal ironyexaggerationdramatic irony What Have You Learned? exaggeration dramatic irony verbal irony

18. The End