“ISN’T IT IRONIC?”
“Um, not really.”
A fun activity to help make the
song TRULY ironic̶while teaching
your students all about irony!
Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Period: ______ “Isn’t it ironic?”
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“Um, n
Alanis MorisseCe’s classic 1995 song, “Ironic,” has been widely used as a teaching tool for irony, much to the dismay of many English teachers and irony purists who criPcize (quite ironically) that a number of the examples in the song are not actually ironic—they are instead just coincidences or bad luck. As comedian, George Carlin, states in his book, Brain Droppings: Irony deals with opposites; it has nothing to do with coincidence. If two baseball players from the same hometown, on different teams, receive the same uniform number, it is not ironic. It is a coincidence... Irony is ‘a state of affairs that is the reverse of what was to be expected; a result opposite to and in mockery of the appropriate result.’ For instance: •  If a diabeDc, on his way to buy insulin, is killed by a runaway truck, he is the vicDm of an accident. If the truck was delivering sugar, he is the vicDm of an oddly poeDc coincidence. But if the truck was delivering insulin, ah! Then he is the vicDm of an irony. INSTRUCTIONS: Listen to the song “Ironic,” then closely read the lyrics on the next page. For each example of irony depicted in the song, mark with an X whether it is a strong example of irony, a mediocre one, or just plain weak. Then answers the quesPons below. Be creaPve with your responses! QUESTIONS: 1.  What do you think is the strongest example of irony in the song? Explain your answer 2.  What do you think is the weakest example of irony in the song? Explain your answer. 3.  In the opening of the song, a 98-­‐year-­‐old man “won the loCery,” then “died the next day.” What might he die of to truly make this example ironic? 4.  Where else other than “in your Chardonnay” might you find a “black fly” to make this example more ironic? 5.  Describe a specific scenario in which “rain on your wedding day” would truly be ironic. Explain. 6.  AOer “meePng the man of (your) dreams,” who might you meet or what might you learn that would make this example more ironic? Extended Thinking Ac8vity: Write your own poem or song about irony. Or create your own video parody of the song “Ironic,” improving upon MorisseCe’s examples of irony. You can find an example of such a parody here: hCps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32LCwZFoKio Name: ____________________________________________________________________________ Period: ______ Is It Truly Ironic?
INSTRUCTIONS: Listen to the song “Ironic” and closely read the lyrics below. For each example of irony depicted in the song, mark with an X whether it is a strong example of irony, a mediocre one, or just plain weak. Then answers the quesPons on the preceding page. hCps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc&list=PLBDF44F1B0C8180D3 You can watch the video here: Lyrics: “Ironic” by Alanis MorisseCe Strong Mediocre Weak An old man turned ninety-­‐eight He won the loCery and died the next day It's a black fly in your Chardonnay It's a death row pardon two minutes too late Isn't it ironic ... don't you think It's like rain on your wedding day It's a free ride when you've already paid It's the good advice that you just didn't take Who would've thought ... it figures? Mr. Play-­‐It-­‐Safe was afraid to fly He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids good-­‐bye He waited his whole damn life to take that flight And as the plane crashed down he thought 'Well isn't this nice...' And isn't it ironic ... don't you think (Repeat Chorus ) Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you When you think everything's okay and everything's going right And life has a funny way of helping you out when You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up In your face It's a traffic jam when you're already late It's a no-­‐smoking sign on your cigareCe break It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife It's meePng the man of my dreams And then meePng his beauPful wife And isn't it ironic... don't you think A liCle too ironic... and yeah I really do think... (Repeat Chorus ) Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out Helping you out Copyright Disclaimer Under SecPon 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criPcism, comment, news reporPng, teaching, scholarship, and research. ANSWER KEY. NOTE: Answers will vary widely, however, students should be able to support their responses with sound reasoning. “Isn’t it ironic?”
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“U
ly.” Alanis MorisseCe’s classic 1995 song, “Ironic,” has been widely used as a teaching tool for irony, much to the dismay of many English teachers and irony purists who criPcize (quite ironically) that a number of the examples in the song are not actually ironic—they are instead just coincidences or bad luck. As comedian, George Carlin, states in his book, Brain Droppings: Irony deals with opposites; it has nothing to do with coincidence. If two baseball players from the same hometown, on different teams, receive the same uniform number, it is not ironic. It is a coincidence... Irony is ‘a state of affairs that is the reverse of what was to be expected; a result opposite to and in mockery of the appropriate result.’ For instance: •  If a diabeDc, on his way to buy insulin, is killed by a runaway truck, he is the vicDm of an accident. If the truck was delivering sugar, he is the vicDm of an oddly poeDc coincidence. But if the truck was delivering insulin, ah! Then he is the vicDm of an irony. INSTRUCTIONS: Listen to the song “Ironic,” then closely read the lyrics on the next page. For each example of irony depicted in the song, mark with an X whether it is a strong example of irony, a mediocre one, or just plain weak. Then answers the quesPons below. Be creaPve in your responses! QUESTIONS: 1.  What do you think is the strongest example of irony in the song? Explain your answer. Answers will vary, but “a no smoking sign on your cigarette date” is ironic if you are waiting
all day for a cigarette only to be met by a sign that destroys your chance of having one.
Also, “Mr. Play-it-Safe” waiting his entire life to fly, then crashing is ironic, but would be
even more so if he were flying to a specialist he sought out to help him with his fear of
flying.!
2. What do you think is the weakest example of irony in the song? Explain your answer. Again, answers will vary greatly, but neither “a black fly in your Chardonnay” nor “rain on
your wedding day” is ironic. These are simply unfortunate events, not ones in which the
outcome is the precise opposite of what is expected. 3.  In the opening of the song, a 98-­‐year-­‐old man “won the loCery,” then “died the next day.” What might he die of to truly make this example ironic? If the old man died of a heart attack that occurred as a result of shock caused by his
lottery win, then that would be truly ironic. Or if he were hit by the delivery service truck
bringing him his winning check. 4.  Where else other than “in your Chardonnay” might you find a “black fly” to make this example more ironic? If you found a black fly in an expensive citronella candle you purchased specifically to
repel black flies, then that would be more ironic than finding one in an expensive glass of
wine. Or if you found one inside a special suit you had made specifically to protect
yourself from your black fly allergy. 5. Describe a specific scenario in which “rain on your wedding day” would truly be ironic. Explain. Rain would be ironic on your wedding day if you took great pains to plan your wedding in the
dessert specifically to avoid the chance of rain. Or if you were a meteorologist who
planned your wedding specifically around a day for which you forecasted no chance of rain. 6.  AOer “meePng the man of (your) dreams,” who might you meet or what might you learn that would make this example more ironic? If you found out that the “man of your dreams” was secretly a woman, that would be
ironic. Or if he ended up being the husband of your relationship therapist or a matchmaker
you hired, that would also be ironic.!
ANSWER KEY. NOTE: Answers will vary widely, however, students should be able to support their responses with sound reasoning. Is It Truly Ironic?
Lyrics: “Ironic” by Alanis MorisseCe Strong Mediocre X!
An old man turned ninety-­‐eight He won the loCery and died the next day X!
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay It's a death row pardon two minutes too late Isn't it ironic ... don't you think X!
X!
It's like rain on your wedding day X!
It's a free ride when you've already paid X!
It's the good advice that you just didn't take Who would've thought... it figures? Mr. Play-­‐It-­‐Safe was afraid to fly He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids good-­‐bye He waited his whole damn life to take that flight And as the plane crashed down he thought 'Well isn't this nice...' Weak !
X!
And isn't it ironic ... don't you think (Repeat Chorus ) Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you When you think everything's okay and everything's going right And life has a funny way of helping you out when You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up In your face X!
It's a traffic jam when you're already late It's a no-­‐smoking sign on your cigareCe break It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife It's meePng the man of my dreams And then meePng his beauPful wife X!
X!
X!
And isn't it ironic... don't you think A liCle too ironic... and yeah I really do think... (Repeat Chorus ) Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out Helping you out Copyright Disclaimer Under SecPon 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criPcism, comment, news reporPng, teaching, scholarship, and research. Can’t Get
Enough Irony?
Looking for more materials for teaching irony? You’ve come to the right place! Consider these related products from my TPT store: This Irony & Close Reading Value-­‐
Bundle includes a PowerPoint as well as a close reading unit that will help your students understand and appreciate irony
—all three types—in all its amusing glory. Includes definiPons, funny real-­‐life examples, opportuniPes for self-­‐
assessment as well as tons of handouts and fun acPviPes to help students pracPce and deepen their knowledge. Or you can purchase these products separately: Irony: Introductory PowerPoint & AcPviPes “The Open Window”— Irony Close Reading & Literary Unit Thank You!
Thank you so much for downloading this product. I hope you and your students find it fun and useful, and I truly appreciate your support on TeachersPayTeachers! You may also like: “Story of an Hour”— Close Reading and Literary Analysis Unit “Masque of the Red Death” Mega-­‐Bundle (Close Reading Unit & PPT) “The Monkey’s Paw”—CCSS-­‐Aligned AcPviPes and Printables Julius Caesar Fun Five-­‐Corners Pre-­‐Reading AcPvity “The Second Coming”—Symbolism Lesson (can also be used with Things Fall Apart) Vocabulary Mega-­‐Pack: Games, AcPviPes, Printables and More For more great products for your middle and high school classroom, visit my store here: Mrs. McLeod’s Classroom Visit my blog and Facebook page for even more ideas, freebies and special offers. Thanks again for your support! Carla McLeod