Irony

_ _ Many of the novels we read in eighth grade, and in fact many of the best novels ever written, contain a healthy dose of irony. Alanis Morrisette wrote a song called "Ironic" a few years ago, and every time I'd ask the class, "What is irony?" they would all start singing, "...it's like rain on your wedding day! It's a free ride when you've already paid! It's the good advice you just didn't take...." Those lyrics may make for a good pop song, but they are not necessarily examples of irony.

From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
Main Entry: iro·ny
Pronunciation: 'I-r&-nE also 'I(-&)r-nE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -nies
Etymology: Latin ironia, from Greek eirOnia, from eirOn dissembler
Date: 1502
1 : a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions conspicuous by
adroit questioning -- called also Socratic irony
2 a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic
literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance
3 a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by
such incongruity b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by
the audience but not by the characters in the play -- called also dramatic irony, tragic irony

_ _ OK, I know that you're thinking: "What does that mean?!" I have highlighted the definition that best applies to what we'll do in our class. And here's what it comes down to:

Irony is when the opposite of what is expected happens.

_ _ Here's an example from our own studies: You'd expect a book entitled Nothing but the Truth to be about characters and situations that are truthful. The title, however, is ironic because Philip, the main character, is actually deceitful and manipulative: NOT truthful at all!

_ _ Do not confuse irony with coincidence. Coincidence is when two things happen at the same time. Irony is when the opposite of what you would expect happens. If you meet your friend in the grocery store because she just happened to be there when you did, it is coincidental not ironic. If, however, a man who made his living running a dairy is run over and killed by a milk truck making its morning rounds, it is ironic. Why? Because you would not expect the man's life work to be the cause of his death!

_ _ Irony is often the cause for humor, but just as often it can make you cringe uncomfortably. We will read both kinds during the year because irony is an important literary element.

_ _Thanks to Dr. Ian Holl for pointing out some previous inconsistencies with this web page. Dr. Holl, apparently an expert in these matters, suggested that I use Catcher in the Rye as a good example of irony. Ironically, if I were to use that excellent book to illustrate irony in this school district, I would lose my job. Given that, I'll just stick with my standard 8th grade curriculum.

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