Irony essay hooks

As in all literary essays, make sure to discuss plenty of quotations (here, the ironic passages) as well as the textual and historical context to demonstrate irony’s role in the text as a whole. Elissa Hansen has more than nine years of editorial experience, and she specializes in academic editing across disciplines.

Sarcasm is one kind of verbal irony: If it’s storming, you might say, “Oh, what perfect weather for a picnic!” but expect your friend to realize that you mean just the opposite. Overstatement (hyperbole) and understatement (litotes) are also types of verbal irony.

For instance, In “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back,” the story’s hero, Luke Skywalker, learns that the evil Darth Vader is really his father -- and the audience is just as surprised as he is. Situational irony is also sometimes called “cosmic irony” or “irony of fate.”

An essay hook (or narrative hook) is a literary technique that writers use to keep their readers engaged. It shows that the content below is worth reading. The hook can have different lengths. Some writers make it last for several pages.