(BTU) Lesson Topic 4: Elements 2.0 - Irony and Point of View

Lesson Topic 4: Elements 2.0 - Irony and Point of View

Many elements appear throughout the study of literature. Therefore, reviewing the terms continuously will help in future understanding.

What is Irony?

Many different types of irony occur in literature. Irony can help create the mood of a story and reveal the humor or suspense in a certain situation.

The Types of Irony

The Types of Irony Verbal irony: Verbal irony occurs when a character says one thing but means something else. This type of irony is also known as sarcasm. For example, if you cannot find your textbook, but it is sitting right in front of you, your friend might say, "Wow. I had no idea where your book could be." Clearly, your friend revealed sarcasm when commenting about the location of the book. Situational irony: Situational irony happens when something happens that the reader does not expect to happen. For example, if the fire station burns down in a movie, that portrays situation irony. Readers would not expect the building that puts out fires to burn down. Dramatic irony: Dramatic irony appears went the readers know something the character does not know. For example, as the readers, we may know a deep, dark secret nobody else knows that one of the characters is hiding. The build-up of suspense until when the secret comes out creates a dramatic effect.

The Point of View Review

A story can have many different points of view. Three possible perspectives are first person, third person, and omniscient. Readers can recognize the type of point of view in the story based on certain words the narrator uses.

Points of View First Person Point of View: With first person point of view, the narrator uses the pronoun "I." Readers remain limited to information that the narrator knows because everything in the story appears through the eyes of that particular narrator. Sometimes, the story might revolve around the narrator when the author writes in the first person. Third Person Point of View: However, with third person point of view, the narrator uses the pronouns "he," "she," "it," or "they." The readers have more information from third person point of view because the narrator is not an actual character in the story. Omniscient Point of View: However, the most information comes by way of the omniscient narrator. Omniscient means "all-knowing," so if the story has an omniscient narrator, the reader has access to all information regarding each character's thoughts.

 

Point of View Purpose

The author always has a reason for choosing a particular point of view. If the author writes in the first person point of view, the reader only has information provided by one source. That means that the narrator might not be a trustworthy source because readers only have the ability to see one view and opinion. However, having more opinions, such as third person or omniscient, might create confusion for the reader and force the reader to choose what thoughts and opinions they believe.

Can you determine on your own what points of view appeared in the various tall tales, fables, and myths that you read? 

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