Question

b. directions: read each example. then, identify the dramatic convention the example describes or illustrates. write d for dramatic irony, c for comic relief, or p for pun.

1. _______ a poor king has lost all his wealth, and now his children ignore him. his dancing jester tells him brightly, “oh sire, fathers who bear money bags do make their children kind; but fathers who wear rags, cause their children to be blind.”
2. _______ mr. and mrs. unieda are planning to open a barbershop. a friend suggests naming the shop “unieda scissors.” “i’m not so sure,” says mrs. unieda. and then, mr. unieda exclaims, “i’ve got it—unieda haircut!”
3. _______ tonya searches frantically for her lost essay. she is unaware that the reason it is missing is that her sister submitted it to a local writing contest. it has won first prize.
4. _______ viv is casting a film about a famous politician—mayor vincent d. so far, she has auditioned thirty actors, but no one has truly fit the part. then, one afternoon, she sees a man reading her audition notice. he is exactly right for the role, and she encourages him to audition. in a quiet aside to the audience, the man smiles and says, “of course i’m perfect. i look just like my uncle vinnie.”
5. _______ isaac tells his friends that he became a spacecraft engineer because he believes that it is a career that can really take off.

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Explanation:

1. The jester's comment uses a double meaning of "blind" (literally unable to see vs. ignoring someone) to make a sharp, witty observation about the king's children ignoring him now that he is poor. This is a pun.
2. Mr. Unieda's proposed shop name "UNIEDA HAIRCUT!" uses a play on words with his last name, linking it to the barbershop service. This is a pun.
3. The audience knows Tonya's essay is missing because her sister submitted it and it won a prize, but Tonya herself does not know this key information. This is dramatic irony.
4. The audience learns through the man's aside that he is the mayor's nephew (and looks exactly like him), but Viv does not know this as she encourages him to audition. This is dramatic irony.
5. Isaac uses the phrase "take off," which has a double meaning (to become successful vs. a spacecraft launching) to joke about his career as a spacecraft engineer. This is a pun.

Answer:

1. P
2. P
3. D
4. D
5. P