Irony and Satire

1. Irony and Satire The Power of Words

2. 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.

3. Three Kinds of Irony • Three kinds of irony are • verbal irony • situational irony • dramatic irony

4. © 2003 clipart.com “So, you don’t read much, do you?” Verbal Irony • Verbal irony occurs when a speaker says one thing but means the opposite.

5. © 2003 clipart.com “I see you’ve finally figured out the library’s five-book limit.” Verbal Irony • An extreme form of verbal irony is sarcasm. • Sarcasm may use taunting praise to indicate the opposite meaning. • Sarcastic remarks are intended to criticize.

6. © 2003 clipart.com 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.

7. © 2003 clipart.com 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

8. 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

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

10. The Tools of Satire • Satirists use irony to point out human weakness. • 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.”

11. 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

12. © 2003 clipart.com The Tools of Satire • Satirists use exaggeration to overstate something to make it look absurd or worse than it really is.

13. exaggeration verbal irony dramatic irony What Have You Learned? Match the terms with their correct definitions. verbal irony exaggeration dramatic irony 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.

14. The End