What do people get wrong about situational irony?
Situational irony, the type that is most commonly misused, involves a situation where the actions end up having an effect that is the opposite from what was intended or expected. Often situational irony is confused with coincidence, an obvious chain of events or something just being funny.
What is irony conflict?
The contrast between what is said and what is actually meant. Irony of Situation. This refers to a happening that is the opposite of what is expected or intended.
Is using irony incorrectly ironic?
“That is sooooo ironic.” This sentence is used frequently—and usually incorrectly—in American English. Often the word ironic is misused to remark on a coincidence, such as This is the third time today we’ve run into each other. It was really ironic.
What are the effects of irony?
Most forms of irony display a disparity between what the characters think can, should, or will happen and what actually transpires. This can spark strong feelings in the reader and serve as a way to teach practical or moral lessons.
Why do people confuse irony with coincidence?
A coincidence is when two unlikely activities share similarities. Coincidence is often confused with situational irony. Situational irony is when the end of a situation is VERY different than what you would expect. For example: Your hairdresser has really, really bad hair.
Why do people find it hard to define irony?
It’s a literary device that highlights the incongruity (a fancy word for ‘difference’) between one’s expectation for a situation, and the reality. Part of the reason people find it hard to give a definition of irony is because of Alanis Morissette’s 1995 hit song ‘ Ironic ‘.
What are the three different types of irony?
Irony is a broad term that encompasses three different types of irony, each with their own specific definition: verbal irony , dramatic irony, and situational irony. Most of the time when people use the word irony, they’re actually referring to one of these specific types of irony.
Which is an obstacle to a simple definition of irony?
The principal obstacle in the way of a simple definition of irony is the fact that irony is not a simple phenomenon. . . . We have now presented, as basic features for all irony, (iii) the comic effect of this unawareness of a contrasting appearance and reality.
Is there a simple definition of rhetorical irony?
But in truth, there’s nothing at all simple about the rhetorical concept of irony. As J.A. Cuddon says in A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (Basil Blackwell, 1979), irony “eludes definition,” and “this elusiveness is one of the main reasons why it is a source of so much fascinated inquiry and speculation.”