Life is Filled With Situational Irony
As Seen in the Following True Stories...
Definition of Situational Irony: A contrast between what we expect to happen, and what really happens. Where an event occurs which is unexpected, in the sense that it is somehow an absurd or mocking contradiction to what is expected or appropriate.
The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later they were both eaten by a killer whale.
Explain why this is ironic:
A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in two places. Till that moment he had been happily listening to his Walkman.
Explain why this is ironic:
Two animal rights activists were protesting the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death.
Explain why this is ironic:
A terrorist didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return to sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits.
Explain why this is ironic:
When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however a bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof windows of the Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest.
Explain why this is ironic: Dramatic Irony Makes for a Good Story!
Definition of Dramatic Irony: Occurs when the audience or reader is aware of something important, but the characters in the story are not aware of this information.
In the movie City Lights, the audience knows that Charlie Chaplin's character is not a millionaire, but the blind flower girl does not.
In the play, Cyrano de Bergerac, we know that Cyrano loves Roxane and that he is the real author of the love letters that Christian is sending to the young woman; Roxane is unaware of this.
In the play Oedipus the King, the audience knows that Oedipus himself is the murderer of the former king; Oedipus did not know that the man he killed was the king and his long lost father.
In the play Othello, Othello addresses Iago as "honest Iago" when he does not know that Iago is the conniving villain who leads Othello to believe through trickery and deception that Othello's wife, Desdemona has been unfaithful. For this, Othello unjustly kills his wife, believing the whole time in Iago's honesty.
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. Let’s PUNtificate with Some Verbal Irony
Definition of Verbal Irony: Occurs when the meaning of a specific expression or a word is intended to be different from what the expression or word literally means. Sarcasm, puns, and word play are types of verbal irony.
Double-Sounding Puns—Refers to a word sounding similar to another word, however not identical to the sound of a word
A music teacher not at home may leave a note on their door saying, “Gone Chopin, Bach in a Minuet.” When I'm feeling tired at work I just use my smart phone to download a nap. When the bad poet stood in front of the judge, the judge thought the punishment should fit the rhyme. My friend gave me a book about puns for my birthday and I loved it. It was two meaningful.
Redefinition Wordplay—One does not need to play on the pronunciation, or spelling of a pun at all. Sometimes, a clever redefinition of a word can be considered a pun. These are sometimes referred to as Daffynitions. The definition is unexpected, and humorous.
Flashlight: a carrying case for dead batteries. Incongruous: where bills are passed. Shin: a device for finding tables in the dark. Khakis: what you need to start the car in Boston. Professor: one who talks in someone else's sleep. Pasteurize: too fast to see. Alarms: what an octopus is. Toboggan: why we go to an auction. Dockyard: a physician's garden. Ubiquitous: a device men use for shaving.
Tom Swifty Puns—play on a relationship between an adverb, and an action spoken in dialogue. These were inspired by an old-fashioned children’s book series about the adventures of Tom Swifty.
'I've returned from the lobotomy,' Tom said 'I'd love some Chinese food,' said Tom wantonly. absentmindedly. 'I want to date around,' said Tom unsteadily. 'Let's dig up the bodies,' Tom said gravely. 'Take the prisoner downstairs,' Tom said 'I don't like hot dogs,' Tom said frankly. condescendingly. 'No, you can't have any of my oysters,' said Tom 'Drop the gun,' Tom said with a disarming smile. shellfishly. 'I lost my hair,' Tom bawled.
Oxymoron—a figure of speech with contradictory terms.
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Spoonerisms–is a result of changing around, especially accidentally, the initial sounds of two or more words.
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