The Monkey's Paw Writing Assignment
Situational irony:
A plot device in which events turn out contrary to expectation.
Example 1: In a school lottery (raffle), the “pocket rocket”
motorcycle is won by a shy, demure nun.
Example 2: After successfully going
over
Niagara Falls
in a barrel, the stunt man goes home, takes a shower, slips on the soap, and
breaks his leg.
Definitions of Irony (edited) http://www.wright.edu/~martin.maner/definitions%20of%20irony.htm 11/13/07
Situational irony results from recognizing the oddness or unfairness of a given situation, be it positive or negative. For example, if the former president of Microsoft, Bill Gates, were to win a contest whose grand prize was a computer system, the irony would be situational because such a circumstance would appear ridiculous or "funny" for a number of reasons. First, Bill Gates doesn't need a computer: he runs the world's largest software company, and second, he's filthy rich, so winning a computer seems silly and "ironic"...This sense of being "unfair" or "unfortunate" is a trademark of situational irony. SarcasmSociety (edited) http://www.sarcasmsociety.com/irony/situational.php 11/13/07
Isn't life ironic?
O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his wife in a criminal trial and set free. Then, his murdered wife's family sued him in a civil trial for killing their daughter, and Simpson was found guilty!
He must pay his wife's family millions of dollars as a result, but he is a free man. Isn't it ironic!
Even more ironic, O.J. Simpson confesses to the bloody slaughter of his
ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her pal Ron Goldman – and reveals he had an
accomplice at the scene--in a bombshell new book!
Eleven years after Simpson was acquitted of the Murder of the Century, ...O.J.
is being paid $3.5 million to describe the brutal knife attack blow-by-blow.
“O.J. prefaces these key pages by almost half-heartedly claiming this part of
the book is hypothetical,” said the source. “But I don’t think anyone is going
to be convinced of that.”
The 1st amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and
freedom of the press, so Simpson has the right to write and publish this book!
The 5th amendment of the U.S. Consitution protects Simpson from being tried
again for murder unless new evidence is found. Because of “double
jeopardy” laws, legal experts say O.J.’s confession will not likely lead to any
legal trouble for him. The book’s working title is “If I Did It.” But
Simpson’s account of the slayings is so chillingly realistic that it leaves no
doubt it is a confession of what really happened.
National Enquirer http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/63698 11/13/07
1. What examples of irony can you and your classmates find in your own lives or other current events?
2. Find examples of irony in these stories: The Monkey's Paw, The Necklace, and The Ransom of Red Chief.