irony detectives activity
directions: read the following original short passages. using the irony definitions above from
lecture, identify what type of irony is used each passage based on what you read, then make your case.
1. assault and battery
annie adored her fiancé scott. annie loved him so much that she was sure that she thought about all
annies actions revolved around scott. annie thought that shed surprise him with breakfast one
day. feeling particularly in love with scott, annie thought shed surprise him by coming to his house
while hes home using the spare key under the doormat and waiting in his home for him to come
home from a business trip. while waiting for him to come home, she thought the surprise might be even
better if she hid in his closet, so she did. twenty minutes later, she heard katie laughing in the back. she
froze startled, and then she heard the sound of them walking up the stairs and scott saying, \you know
i dont want you here, katie\ and thought she heard scott say, \he must be hiding near my things.
annie painfully thought to herself. then she heard them continue to talk,
o, shes nothing serious
and besides, you know youre the one i love, katie.\ annies heart dropped. she grabbed the pepper
spray from out of her purse, unlatched the safety and held her hand tense on the release button. scott
walked into the room, smiling and laughing as he flirted with katie on the phone.
2. reckless endangerment
swanson wisconsin was a famous child star. she had several platinum selling albums, her own tv
show, and a series of straight-to-dvd films that received terrible reviews but sold really well.
swanson wisconsin was extremely wealthy and had the respect and admiration of millions of boys and
girls around the world. she was everywhere, she was even the face of the anti-drug movement.
swanson wisconsin appeared on several commercials, billboards, and bus advertisements telling young
people not to use drugs. all over the country the message was heard: \be like swanson wisconsin.
wake up. dont get high.\ one fateful december evening, swanson wisconsin crashed her bentley
into a parking stand. no one was injured, but swanson wisconsin was extremely disorientated. at the
hospital, blood tests revealed that swanson wisconsin had enough crystal meth, cocaine, and
tranquilizers in her system to murder an elephant.
3. breaking and entering
jimmy the lock was a master safe-cracker. he could bust open any safe in the world in under an hour
using a crow bar, stethoscope, drill, and sledgehammer. no lock could hold jimmy and thats why they
called him the lock. jimmy was scheduled to do a six-year stretch in the slammer for a bank job that got
messy. but he checked himself out before they could slam the cell door. now that he was on the lam,
jimmy set up the score of his life. he had the blueprints all laid out to do a job on an armored diamond
delivery car. jimmy gathered all his tools and headed out the door to meet his contact, bobby the rat.
when he got to his car, jimmy couldnt find his keys. he patted his pockets before he realized that he
must have left them in his other thieving-outfit. so jimmy went back to get his keys, but the door
wouldnt open. jimmy the lock had locked himself out of his house.
4. grand theft auto
jack was on his way home from work when his wife jill called him. he was in a hurry to get home and
watch his favorite show: cops, but jill said that he needed to stop at the minimart to get some bread for
dinner. jack replied dutifully to his wife, \yes, dear.\ when he got to the minimart, jack was in such a
hurry that he didnt even pull into a parking spot. he just pulled up right next to the door. it was 6:58
and cops was starting in two minutes so jack just left his car running and ran into the store. he
grabbed the bread from the middle aisle and got in the line behind a skinny guy wearing a leather jacket.
jack tapped his foot impatiently as the man purchased lottery tickets. finally, the clerk rang up jack
right as jacks watch read 6:59. jack hurriedly completed the transaction and ran outside. as he went to
jump into his car, he noticed that it was gone. he looked around a bit, but it was no where in sight.
\great,\ jack sighed. his watch read 7:01. his is wonderful,\ he said to himself, as he reached in his
pocket to call his wife.

irony detectives answer sheet
name: _______________
1. assault and battery
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

2. reckless endangerment of human life
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

3. breaking and entering
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

4. grand theft auto
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

Question

irony detectives activity
directions: read the following original short passages. using the irony definitions above from
lecture, identify what type of irony is used each passage based on what you read, then make your case.
1. assault and battery
annie adored her fiancé scott. annie loved him so much that she was sure that she thought about all
annies actions revolved around scott. annie thought that shed surprise him with breakfast one
day. feeling particularly in love with scott, annie thought shed surprise him by coming to his house
while hes home using the spare key under the doormat and waiting in his home for him to come
home from a business trip. while waiting for him to come home, she thought the surprise might be even
better if she hid in his closet, so she did. twenty minutes later, she heard katie laughing in the back. she
froze startled, and then she heard the sound of them walking up the stairs and scott saying, \you know
i dont want you here, katie\ and thought she heard scott say, \he must be hiding near my things.
annie painfully thought to herself. then she heard them continue to talk,
o, shes nothing serious
and besides, you know youre the one i love, katie.\ annies heart dropped. she grabbed the pepper
spray from out of her purse, unlatched the safety and held her hand tense on the release button. scott
walked into the room, smiling and laughing as he flirted with katie on the phone.
2. reckless endangerment
swanson wisconsin was a famous child star. she had several platinum selling albums, her own tv
show, and a series of straight-to-dvd films that received terrible reviews but sold really well.
swanson wisconsin was extremely wealthy and had the respect and admiration of millions of boys and
girls around the world. she was everywhere, she was even the face of the anti-drug movement.
swanson wisconsin appeared on several commercials, billboards, and bus advertisements telling young
people not to use drugs. all over the country the message was heard: \be like swanson wisconsin.
wake up. dont get high.\ one fateful december evening, swanson wisconsin crashed her bentley
into a parking stand. no one was injured, but swanson wisconsin was extremely disorientated. at the
hospital, blood tests revealed that swanson wisconsin had enough crystal meth, cocaine, and
tranquilizers in her system to murder an elephant.
3. breaking and entering
jimmy the lock was a master safe-cracker. he could bust open any safe in the world in under an hour
using a crow bar, stethoscope, drill, and sledgehammer. no lock could hold jimmy and thats why they
called him the lock. jimmy was scheduled to do a six-year stretch in the slammer for a bank job that got
messy. but he checked himself out before they could slam the cell door. now that he was on the lam,
jimmy set up the score of his life. he had the blueprints all laid out to do a job on an armored diamond
delivery car. jimmy gathered all his tools and headed out the door to meet his contact, bobby the rat.
when he got to his car, jimmy couldnt find his keys. he patted his pockets before he realized that he
must have left them in his other thieving-outfit. so jimmy went back to get his keys, but the door
wouldnt open. jimmy the lock had locked himself out of his house.
4. grand theft auto
jack was on his way home from work when his wife jill called him. he was in a hurry to get home and
watch his favorite show: cops, but jill said that he needed to stop at the minimart to get some bread for
dinner. jack replied dutifully to his wife, \yes, dear.\ when he got to the minimart, jack was in such a
hurry that he didnt even pull into a parking spot. he just pulled up right next to the door. it was 6:58
and cops was starting in two minutes so jack just left his car running and ran into the store. he
grabbed the bread from the middle aisle and got in the line behind a skinny guy wearing a leather jacket.
jack tapped his foot impatiently as the man purchased lottery tickets. finally, the clerk rang up jack
right as jacks watch read 6:59. jack hurriedly completed the transaction and ran outside. as he went to
jump into his car, he noticed that it was gone. he looked around a bit, but it was no where in sight.
\great,\ jack sighed. his watch read 7:01. 	his is wonderful,\ he said to himself, as he reached in his
pocket to call his wife.

irony detectives answer sheet
name: _______________
1. assault and battery
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

2. reckless endangerment of human life
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

3. breaking and entering
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

4. grand theft auto
what type of irony is used in the passage? _______________
make your case (explain your answer) _______________

Accepted Answer

# Brief Explanations:
1.  **Annie and Barry**:
    - The text uses dramatic irony: Annie thinks Barry is cheating with Katie and is distraught, but the audience hears Barry say he loves Annie and is just being friendly with Katie, so we know the truth Annie doesn't.
2.  **Reckless Endangerment**:
    - The text uses situational irony: Swanson Wisconsin is a famous anti-drug/anti-drug-use celebrity idolized by teens, but she is found disoriented with large amounts of illegal drugs in her system, which is the opposite of her public image and message.
3.  **Breaking and Entering**:
    - The text uses situational irony: Jimmy, a master safe-cracker who can open any lock, accidentally locks himself out of his own house, a reversal of his expert skill set.
4.  **Grand Theft Auto**:
    - The text uses situational irony: Jack rushes to get home to watch *COPS* (a show about crime) and leaves his car running; in that short time, his car is stolen, making him a victim of the very type of crime the show focuses on.

# Answer:
1.  **Annie and Barry**
    - What type of irony is used in the passage? Dramatic Irony
    - Make your case: Annie believes Barry is unfaithful and is upset, but the reader knows Barry is only being friendly with Katie and loves Annie, creating a gap between Annie's perception and the true situation.
2.  **Reckless Endangerment**
    - What type of irony is used in the passage? Situational Irony
    - Make your case: Swanson Wisconsin is a famous anti-drug celebrity, but she is caught with illegal drugs in her system, which directly contradicts her public persona and message.
3.  **Breaking and Entering**
    - What type of irony is used in the passage? Situational Irony
    - Make your case: Jimmy, a master safe-cracker who can open any lock, accidentally locks himself out of his own home, a reversal of his professional expertise.
4.  **Grand Theft Auto**
    - What type of irony is used in the passage? Situational Irony
    - Make your case: Jack hurries to watch *COPS* (a show about crime) but in his rush, his car is stolen, making him a victim of the kind of crime he was excited to watch.

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