What do you really mean?

1. What do you really mean? Irony and Other Literary Devices

2. Key Terms • Irony • Sarcasm • Exaggeration • Understatement

3. Irony A figure of speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words that carry the opposite meaning

4. Three Types of Irony • Verbal – when what is said is the opposite of what is meant • Situational – when what occurs is the opposite of what is expected to occur • Dramatic – when what a character says or believes is not what the reader, audience, or other characters know to be true

5. Verbal Irony Your boyfriend shows up in ripped up jeans and a stained t-shirt. With a smile, you say, "Oh! I see you dressed up for our date. We must be going to a posh restaurant."

6. Situational Irony Once upon a time, there was a girl who went into the woods. She entered a funny little house, and she was kind of hungry, so she ate a bowl of porridge that was sitting on the table. Unfortunately for her, it was poisoned and she died. Because most people are familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, this ending comes as a bit of a surprise. This is situational irony.

7. Dramatic Irony 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.

8. 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.

9. More Examples? Can you think of any examples of irony in recent movies you have seen?

10. Sarcasm • A bitter or cutting speech, intended to wound a person’s feelings. It comes from the Greek word meaning to tear flesh. • Sarcasm is an example of verbal irony. (But verbal irony is not always sarcastic, since it does not always want to wound.)

11. Sarcasm A mother catches her eleven-year-old, who is failing all of his classes, in the act of watching South Park instead of doing his homework as he was supposed to do.  Pointing to the screen she says, "Here’s the explanation for all that brilliant work you’ve been doing in school, my little honors student."

12. Exaggeration (Hyperbole) A figure of speech that heightens the significance of the moment by making it seem larger or greater than it really is

13. Exaggeration (Hyperbole) Someone tells us of a time when he told an off-color joke about a grandmother and then realized that his own grandmother, a prim and proper lady, happened to be standing right behind him.  "I almost died," he says.

14. Understatement (Litotes) A figure of speech that heightens the significance of the moment by making it seem smaller or less important than it really is.

15. Understatement • We visit our friend in the hospital.  We know from his wife that the prognosis is bad, and also that our friend has been informed of his condition.  When we enter, we ask him how he's feeling.  "Well," he says, "I've been better." • "He's not a bad cook."  (Meaning he's quite good.) • "She's not the world's best speller."  (Meaning she's terrible at it.)