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Irony

Rhetorical Devices
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Irony is a contrast between what is said, expected, or appears true and what is actually meant or occurs. It creates complexity, distance, or critique.

Detailed Definition
Irony arises when language, circumstance, or audience knowledge creates a gap between surface meaning and deeper reality. Verbal irony occurs when a speaker says one thing but means another, while situational irony occurs when events defy reasonable expectations. Dramatic irony lets readers know more than a character or speaker. In poetry, irony can expose hypocrisy, complicate praise, protect vulnerable feeling behind a mask, or make tragedy more painful. It encourages readers to question literal statements and attend closely to tone and context.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The fire station burned down, a bitterly ironic disaster,” where the event contradicts expectation; “The lifeguard drowned beneath a warning flag,” situational irony; “What lovely weather,” the speaker says as hail tears the garden, verbal irony; In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias,” the boast of a “king of kings” is ironic because his empire has vanished
Additional Notes
Irony may be verbal, situational, or dramatic. Do not assume every contrast is irony: the gap between appearance and reality, intention and result, or stated meaning and implied meaning must be meaningful.
Other Meanings of “Irony”
Also Known As
Verbal Irony Antiphrasis Double Meaning
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