IRONY What is Irony Irony is a

IRONY

What is Irony? Irony is a contradiction (the opposite) of what one would normally EXPECT to happen. Irony is meant to ALWAYS be surprising, interesting, sometimes amusing, humorous and can even be tragic.

Here are some examples of irony…

An Olympic swimmer tragically drowns in his bathtub.

A woman lights ‘stress relieving’ candles and they accidentally burn her house down.

A girl who is obsessed with becoming beautiful becomes disfigured and ugly after plastic surgery gone awry.

A person who plays the lottery their entire life and never won, only to win millions of dollars one day and then die the next.

A blind person who can ‘see’ something that everyone with sight is ‘blind’ to.

A bird who is afraid of heights!

The tragic and unforgettable story of the Titanic which was deemed “The Unsinkable Ship. ”

The colleagues of a librarian who has worked in a school for over 20 years, learn that she is illiterate.

A hunter who goes out for a routine hunt and is impaled by a deer’s antlers.

Stranded out at sea and dying of thirst in the middle of the ocean.

A man decides to sail off to live a solitary, reclusive life away from the modern world. Upon settling on a paradise island, where no other people inhabit, he quickly learns that his own private paradise island is soon to become a touristy vacation resort.

A fitness expert who prides himself on his impeccable health and makes many speeches about the importance of healthy living, soon learns he has been diagnosed with lung cancer—from second hand smoke!!!

Alanis Morresette’s song titled ‘Ironic’, is NOT very ironic. More coincidental…?

Can you think of some original examples of irony…?

Do Now n Which of these examples demonstrates irony and explain. (a) An overweight person wins an ‘all you can eat’ contest. (b) A plant that dies from getting too much sunlight (c) A person who has an incredibly high IQ goes on to win the Nobel Prize.

IRONIC? (A) After the fire company leaves to put out a house fire, their fire station burns down. (B) A police officer catches a criminal; however, the criminal escapes from jail that same day. (C) A firefighter falls off a ladder trying to put out a fire.

IRONIC? (A) A man is choking in a restaurant and is given CPR by and EMT worker sitting at an adjacent table. (B) After picking up an accident victim, an ambulance gets into an accident on the way to the hospital. (C) A doctor gets very sick from always being around sick patients.

IRONIC? (A) A girl yearns for a car for her 17 th birthday. Her parents constantly tell her no; however, then surprise her with a new car a week later. (B) A woman turns 100 years old and receives 100 presents for her birthday. (C) Dying on your birthday.

Do Now: Identifying Irony n The directions say to take two vitamins each day.

Do Now: Tragic Irony

Assessing Irony n You will now read ‘The Black Prince. ” n Create a characterization chart for the TWO MAIN characters. (young boy/The Black Prince & Princess Thudmos) Briefly explain the conflict, or problem in the story. Write a brief essay identifying & explaining the irony of the story. Cite specific text evidence to support your thoughts. n n