Introduction To Irony & The Lesson

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Introduction to irony &

The Lesson

Literature

What is irony?

Irony

• Irony is when things turn out in a surprising or opposite way to what you expect. 
  
  
• It’s like a twist that makes you see the situation differently and can often be funny or profound. 
  
  
• There are three main types of irony: verbal, situational, and dramatic.

Verbal irony

• Verbal irony is when someone says something but means the opposite.
  
  
• Kind of sarcasm.
  
  
• Example:
  Someone steps outside into a heavy rainstorm and says “What a beautiful day”! It’s ironic because the speaker is saying the opposite of what they mean.

Situational irony

• Situational irony happens when what actually happens is different from what you expected.
  
  
• It’s like when something intended to solve a problem ends up making it worse.
  
  
• Example:
  Imagine a fire station burning down. You’d expect a fire station to be the last place to catch fire, so it’s ironic when it does.

Dramatic irony

• Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not.
  
  
• This knowledge creates tension or humour because we see the characters acting in ways that don’t match the reality of their situation.
  
  
• Example:
  In the movie "Titanic," the audience knows the ship is doomed to sink. The characters, however, believe they are on an unsinkable ship. When they talk about their future plans, it’s dramatically ironic because we know what’s really going to happen.

What do the following words mean?

nooligans

din

throttled

garroted

skive

carnage

bloedbad

spijbelen

tuig

kelen

herrie

wurgen

Let's read The Lesson together

Let's continue

By answering the questions

1. What is the rhyme scheme of the first three stanzas of this poem?

2. What is the topic of the lesson this teacher wants to teach this particular day?

Answer question 2

violence

Questions 3 - 5

Discuss in pairs or small groups.

3. What is his method for teaching this particular lesson?

Answer question 3

• He uses violence himself.

Answer question 4

• Surrealistic = not realistic / beyond realism
• Personal answers: let's discuss them
  

Personal answers are never wrong, right?

• Wrong!
• If it doesn't make sense what you're saying
• You have to explain or give examples

So...

• It is strange.
  This is a wrong answer.
  
  
• It is strange because a teacher would never do this in real life.
  This is a correct answer.

5a. What type of irony can be found in the final sentence of this poem?

1. verbal irony
2. situational irony
3. dramatic irony

Explain why it is
this type of irony

Answer question 5b

• The teacher says/hopes that they have learned something, but obviously this is impossible as all the students are dead.

I think I understand this poem well enough for the test.

Yes

No

Continue

If you have answered yes, focus on your week task.

If you have answered no, please let me know what you do not understand (yet).