My English teacher sister and I recently got into a lengthy conversation about the official definition of irony. It turns out that Alanis Morissette didn’t quite have it right in her song, “Ironic” crooning about rain on your wedding day and a fly in your chardonnay being ironic. This has evidently resulted in not only Alanis losing respect from every English teacher north of Tijuana, but according to my sister, has also confused an entire generation of English students.
Dictionary.com defines irony as my sister did, “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning” or an “outcome of events that are contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.” So that makes a fly in your chardonnay just a bmmer - not ironic.
Evidently, irony differs from sarcasm because irony shows greater subtlety and wit. And similarly, satire is close – but it implies the use of irony or sarcasm “for censorious or critical purposes and is often directed at public figures or institutions, conventional behavior, political situations, etc.”
All of this came rushing back to me tonight as I sped home and passed this road sign. It flashes your speed as you go by and if you are going over the limit, it does so with increasingly frantic warning lights. I personally always try to go as fast as I can to make it go from static to red flash and even to a strobe light flash eventually– it feels like an accomplishment somehow. Evidently I'm not the only speed demon out there, as someone else took my game a bit further by posting a score board underneath the sign boasting his “high score” of 42. Had I a Sharpie, I would have posted my record breaking addition.
Considering this is certainly not the expectation local law enforcement had when posting the sign, I’d say THAT is ironic... and maybe even satirical. But I’ll have to get the official word from my sister.
Agreed. Ironic, among other things!
Posted by: English teacher sister | December 14, 2008 at 04:20 PM