Irony

A CONTRAST

• Between expectation and reality.

• Between what is said and what is REALLY meant.

• Between what is expected to happen and what REALLY does happen.

• Between what appears to be true and what is REALLY true.

Three Types of Irony

Dramatic – situation where a character is unaware of something the audience knows.

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.

Three Types of Irony

Situational – see definition for irony.• You break a date with your girlfriend so you

can go to the ball game with the guys. When you go to the concession stand, you run into your date who is with another guy.

• You stay up all night studying for a test. When you go to class, you discover the test is not until the next day.

Three Types of Irony

Verbal – when what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

• You are arguing with your mother, who reprimands you for being "smart." Your reply is a sarcastic, "If you think I am smart, then why won't you let me make some smart decisions?"

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

SYMBOLISM

Symbolism – do not write!

• Using symbols to represent deeper or more complex ideas, concepts, feelings, etc.

• A SYMBOL is a person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well.

• There are PUBLIC/UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS that most people know.

• In literature, writers sometimes also create new, PRIVATE/CONTEXT SPECIFIC SYMBOLS that can only be understood from reading their writing.

Henna is not a sacred plant in South Asia, but it does symbolize prosperity, fertility and happiness. It plays an essential role in the rites of womanhood and represents fortune, seduction and beauty. It is widely used in a variety of religious and ritualistic ceremonies in South Asia, particularly by Muslims.

Imagery

• Language that appeals to the senses. • Most images are visual—they create pictures in

the reader’s mind by appealing to the sense of sight.

• Images can also appeal to the senses of sound, touch, taste, or smell or even to several senses at once.

• Imagery is in almost all types of writing, but it is especially important and common in poetry and stories.