Identifying and Using Irony

ANALYZE How the Author’s Use of LANGUAGE and

LITERARY DEVICES Achieves SPECIFIC PURPOSES

LESSON
STAAR® BLITZ, DAY 4
ENGLISH I

Open Ended

What is a Literary device?

What is a literary device?

These devices serve a wide range of purposes in literature. If you're reading a book and you find the author using
language or narrative structure in an unusual way, there's probably a literary device at work.
Types of literary devices include: simile, metaphor, imagery, personification, symbolism, irony, foreshadowing,
oxymoron, etc.

A writing technique
used to express ideas,
convey meaning, and
highlight important
themes in a piece of
text.

Analyzing Language

and Literary Devices…

Use these tools:

• Identify the literary device
• Determine what is actually being said
• Consider the author’s purpose

Ask yourself these questions:

•What literary device is being used?

•What is the purpose of the literary device?

•How does the author’s language impact the selection?

Open Ended

What is Irony?

What is irony?

Irony is used to create meaning that seems to contradict the literal meaning or event.

Verbal irony uses words in the intended meaning is contrary to the literal meaning.

Situational irony is when the actual situation is quite different from what is imagined or assumed.

Dramatic irony happens when a character does or says something that they don’t fully grasp the impact of, but the audience does.

“This day could not get
any better” everything
has gone wrong

“It was as fun as having
my teeth pulled”
something was not
enjoyable

-a police officer receives
a speeding ticket

-a fire house is
destroyed in a fire

-the “unsinkable”
Titanic sinking

-gossiping about
someone who can hear
you

-Beauty and the Beast,
the Beast is a prince,
the audience knows,
Belle does not.

Verbal

Situational

Dramatic

Multiple Choice

What kind of irony is this?

• Verbal

• Situational

• Dramatic

Open Ended

What is ironic about this picture??

REMEMBER:
Irony is used to create
meaning that seems to
contradict the literal
meaning or event.

What is ironic about the
image?

This is situational irony.

The fish do not need the umbrella. The entire bowl is full of water.

Open Ended

What is an oxymoron?

What is an oxymoron?

An oxymoron is when two contradictory terms are used together. For example, virtual reality and seriously funny.

Open Ended

What oxymorons are being represented?

REMEMBER:
An oxymoron is when
two contradictory
terms are used
together.

What oxymorons are
represented?

There’s also old news and small crowd.

I figured out jumbo shrimp.

​Answer the following questions

Multiple Choice

1. The author’s use of descriptive language helps the reader understand -

• how far the man had traveled

• the purpose behind the man’s arrival

• why the narrator was shocked

• when the man arrived

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the simile in the excerpt?

• Explain the man’s eyes.

• Describe what the man was wearing.

• Convince the reader the man was dangerous.

• Explain the man’s nose shape.

Open Ended

Based on the excerpt, what can the reader infer about the man’s “exclamation of joy”? Use text evidence to support your answer.

Open Ended

4. Read the sentence from the previous excerpt.

Though young, his long back was already bowed, and he walked with a forward thrust of his head and a general air of peering benevolence.

Which word in the sentence means bent over? Enter your answer in the box.

Multiple Choice

The reader can conclude -

• The man was convinced he saw a ghost

• The calf moved quickly out of sight

• The house was haunted

• The man was afraid of the dark

Open Ended

Which detail from the sentence best supports the answer to

Part A? Circle one correct answer within the text.