Literary+Term+-+Irony

= IRONY: "Life's little surprises" =

= General Definition: when there is a discrepancy between what is and what should be, = = when an outcome is the opposite of what we would expect, or when someone = = lacks understanding of a situation =



===**1. Parents who over-indulge their children in order to protect them from pain while growing up actually serve to cripple their children, since they grow into adulthood incapable of solving problems or dealing with adversity.**===

===**2. Children who participate in organized sports starting at a very young age often burn out when they enter high school, losing out on opportunities for college scholarships... or they suffer repetitive sports injuries that sideline them.**===

===**3. Teens often listen to music on their ipods very loudly in order to feel they have control over their lives -- but audiologists predict an entire generation of people may be deaf by age 40 because of this.**===


 * TED-ED tutorial on dramatic irony:**


 * @http://ed.ted.com/lessons/in-on-a-secret-that-s-dramatic-irony-christopher-warner**

===**1. A mother tries very hard to protect her daughter's innocence and free time by finding a school that does not give homework until 4th grade; but her daughter at age 5 actually asks for homework after school one day because all her friends have it.**===

===**2. Parents sometimes say they allow their teens to have drinking parties in their home, where they are in a "safe environment." However, often the teens leave the party to drive home and get into accidents.**===

===**3. Teens reveal many details about themselves online, believing that only their friends will read what they post. Time and again they are surprised when school authorities or potential bosses find the photos or information.**===

**he proceeds to enter a contest that gets him on camera and spotted by his boss.**


= Irony often "draws back the curtain on reality," exposing truths about human nature or about the world in general, questioning conventional wisdom -- those commonly held beliefs that we take for granted -- and showing us our own shortcomings. = = = == = Exploring irony in your writing allows you to get to the TRUTH of a situation by identifying who is really responsible for a problem, or pointing a finger at those who are guilty of irresponsibility or lacking common sense. A common term for this is "sinister truth." Conversely, if the truth of a situation reveals that certain people have actually behaved admirably or heroically, we may have uncovered an ironic "wonderful truth." =