IRONY: of celebrities and slimming pills
This one you have to know. IRONY. Best way to explain the use of Irony in a literary text is to use examples.
First example of Irony:
A friend who has heard me rant often about the declining number of Literature students in our secondary schools pointed out to me that it is somewhat unfortunate that I referred to myself as a crusader. You know what happened during the Crusades. I don't think too that most people refer to a crusader as a keeper of wisdom or such like good attributes. So my title IRONICALLY suggests that mine is a lost cause.
Second example of Irony:
Back to my pet topic and what you might call my ongoing illusion that I am in touch with hip and happening things. You should be aware by now that I am mighty proud of my Cowell-like ability to spot a winner. If you have been following American Idol, you might remember how an Elliott Yamin was earlier sidelined by those awful loud-mouthed twins who wanted to talk their way into the competition. Elliott Yamin then was as my dear domestic assistant put it, looking like "an ape". She and another more senior member of my household referred to him as the "---" (common derogatory term rhyming with his name). I stuck to my guns and persisted. When I found that he was deaf in a ear and a juvenile diabetic to boot, I knew the IRONY would not be lost on the marketing geniuses in American Idol. What a perfect story for an eventual winner! Everyone likes an underdog. Underdogs = public support = votes = more $ for American Idol's Fox producers. Now I have the honour of people emailing me to confirm that Elliott Yamin has outperformed the rest in the very week I was away. I missed it all because I was in a land so complacently endowed that they don't have American Idol there. But I bet he won't be thought of as an evolutionary ancestor no more.
The unforgettable examples
Now for decidedly unfunny examples from the world of photo journalism:
Tiananmen Square's picture of the single individual standing before a tank.
The picture of the Ethiopian child so starved that a vulture lies awaiting.
The commercial examples
Advert in obvious bad taste but UNINTENTIONALLY ironic to the hundredth degree: Fann Wong marketing a weight-loss supplement
Advert that uses irony to great effect: Subaru being touted as a superb car by say, an Italian buyer who has to go against a expectedly nationalistic father.
Now you should be able to find all the examples of Irony in your text now. Go figure.
First example of Irony:
A friend who has heard me rant often about the declining number of Literature students in our secondary schools pointed out to me that it is somewhat unfortunate that I referred to myself as a crusader. You know what happened during the Crusades. I don't think too that most people refer to a crusader as a keeper of wisdom or such like good attributes. So my title IRONICALLY suggests that mine is a lost cause.
Second example of Irony:
Back to my pet topic and what you might call my ongoing illusion that I am in touch with hip and happening things. You should be aware by now that I am mighty proud of my Cowell-like ability to spot a winner. If you have been following American Idol, you might remember how an Elliott Yamin was earlier sidelined by those awful loud-mouthed twins who wanted to talk their way into the competition. Elliott Yamin then was as my dear domestic assistant put it, looking like "an ape". She and another more senior member of my household referred to him as the "---" (common derogatory term rhyming with his name). I stuck to my guns and persisted. When I found that he was deaf in a ear and a juvenile diabetic to boot, I knew the IRONY would not be lost on the marketing geniuses in American Idol. What a perfect story for an eventual winner! Everyone likes an underdog. Underdogs = public support = votes = more $ for American Idol's Fox producers. Now I have the honour of people emailing me to confirm that Elliott Yamin has outperformed the rest in the very week I was away. I missed it all because I was in a land so complacently endowed that they don't have American Idol there. But I bet he won't be thought of as an evolutionary ancestor no more.
The unforgettable examples
Now for decidedly unfunny examples from the world of photo journalism:
Tiananmen Square's picture of the single individual standing before a tank.
The picture of the Ethiopian child so starved that a vulture lies awaiting.
The commercial examples
Advert in obvious bad taste but UNINTENTIONALLY ironic to the hundredth degree: Fann Wong marketing a weight-loss supplement
Advert that uses irony to great effect: Subaru being touted as a superb car by say, an Italian buyer who has to go against a expectedly nationalistic father.
Now you should be able to find all the examples of Irony in your text now. Go figure.
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