Irony:

Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic

 What are the effects of irony?

• Humor – irony creates a private joke

that creates a sense of complicity
between author and reader.  
• Irony in literature is intended to
provoke the reader into thinking
harder and analyzing a situation.
 What are the effects of verbal irony?

• Humor
• Help readers gain insight into character personalities or
motives
• Ex. A character who is frequently sarcastic or dishonest might not be
trustworthy.
• Can be used by one character to condemn or draw out the
flaws of another
• Ex. In the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar, Marc Antony gives a
speech repeatedly calling Brutus an “honorable man” even though
Brutus has just committed murder
 What are the effects of
situational irony?
• Situational irony can make a plot twist more interesting,
draw attention to a reader's unwarranted biases, or show
how a character handles an unexpected situation.
What are the effects of dramatic
irony?
• Dramatic irony can create suspense or tension for
the audience.
 Exit Ticket

• Write one example each for verbal, situational, or

dramatic irony. It can be from a book, movie, real
life, etc. or just something you make up, but it can’t
be one of the examples used in class.
• Definition: a statement or group of statements that leads to a
Paradox
contradiction or a situation which (if true) defies logic or reason
• For simplicity, think of it as more or less a play on words
• Examples:
• “I can resist anything but temptation.” – Oscar Wilde
• Your friend saying to you “I’m lying.”
• “I must be cruel to be kind.” – Shakespeare
• Interviewing for her first job, Sam is told he doesn’t have
enough experience for the position, but without the position
he cannot gain the experience
• Makes you stop and think! When you read something that doesn’t
Effects of Paradox
make logical sense at first, you have to stop and think about it.
• Paradox is often used to draw attention to and convey major themes
• Can be used for humor or to point out latent truths
• Ex. – In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, one part of the society’s
cardinal rule is the statement, “All animals are equal, but some are
more equal than others”
• Orwell’s book is a criticism of the Communist revolution. He is pointing out the
latent truth that there is no such thing as an “equal” society
 Difference between Irony and
Paradox
• A paradox is a statement that is self-contradictory
• Irony doesn’t have to be a single statement, and
irony doesn’t have to be contradictory

• Both can be humorous.