Figure of the Day: Irony
Serena Kelley
Trope:
The use of a word, phrase, or image in a
way not intended by its normal
signification
Irony Definition
A trope in which a word or phrase
is used to mean the opposite of
its literal meaning.
Ex: “I just LOVE mopping these floors”
General Characteristic: to make something
understood by expressing its opposite
Types of Irony in Rhetoric
1. Verbal irony: when the intended meaning of a statement differs from the meaning that the words
appear to express
a.
“Clear as mud”, “Soft as a brick”
b.
“Water, water, everywhere and nor a drop to drink”
1. Dramatic irony: a narrative effect in which the audience knows more about present or future
a character
in the
story.
Usedcircumstances
by writers asthan
a tool
for exciting
and
sustaining
the interest of readers and audiences.
Romeo and Juliet: Romeo finds Juliet in deep and
drugged slumber, assumes her dead, kills himself.
Juliet wakes up, discovers her dead lover and kills herself.
Irony vs. Sarcasm
Can be used interchangeably, but there
are differences:
Irony is direct: “I’m late to class and I have a flat
tire. Wonderful!”
Memes contain irony
Sarcasm means precisely what it says, but in a
sharp, bitter, cutting, caustic, or acerb manner,
often meant to wound: “Mirrors can’t talk. Lucky
Uses and Characteristics of Irony
May be used as a rhetorical device to enforce one's meaning
“As soon as you stop wanting something, you get it.” ― Andy Warhol
May be used as an heuristic device to lead one's readers to
see that things are not so simple or certain as they seem, or
perhaps not so complex or doubtful as they seem.
Socratic irony - feigning ignorance in order to gain information and
examine the ideas of others
“Playing dumb”
May be used as a satiric device to attack a point of view or to
expose folly, hypocrisy, or vanity
Examples of Irony
On one hand, I’m indecisive; but on the other,
I’m not.
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s
intolerance.
There’s no such thing as nonexistence
Come up with your own!