The Interlopers – Deep Dive into Irony, Feud, and Fate (April 08)

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"The Interlopers" – Deep Dive into Irony (April 08)

Learning Objectives (Students will be able to…)

1. Analyze the types of irony with focus on how Saki uses dramatic and situational irony to undermine the characters’ reconciliation.

2. Cite textual evidence to support interpretations of author pupose and choices

📚 Standards RL.9-10.1 – RL.9-10.2 – RL.9-10.5 –RL.9-10.6

What are the types of irony that you know?

Examples of Vebal Irony: Say the Opposite of What You Mean

1. When someone shows up an hour late to a meeting:
   “Oh, don’t worry, I love waiting. It’s my favorite hobby.”

2. After a disastrous haircut:
   “Wow, this is exactly what I asked for. I was really hoping to look like a startled hedgehog.”

3. When a friend trips and spills coffee everywhere:
   “Smooth move. You should teach a class on grace.”

4. During a massive downpour, stepping outside:
   “Perfect day for a picnic. Let me grab the sunscreen.”

5. After a friend tells a painfully long, boring story:
   “Please, don’t stop. I was hoping to miss my bus.”

Share your own example of verbal irony.

Examples of Situational Irony: The Opposite of What You Think

1. A driving instructor fails their own road test.
   Imagine the person teaching parallel parking being told they’re “not quite ready.”

2. A lifeguard drowns in a public pool.
   Tragic if real, but as a humorous hypothetical: the one person trained to prevent drowning ends up needing rescue.

3. A sign that says “No Sign”
   The message negates itself. Pure situational irony in two words.

4. A marriage counselor files for divorce.
   The person whose job is to fix marriages can’t fix their own.

5. You buy a “steal-proof” lock, and it gets stolen off your bike.
   The very thing designed to protect becomes the target.

Scenario: A TikToker famous for “life hacks that actually work” posts a video titled “How to unclog a toilet with dish soap.”
They follow their own advice and flood their bathroom.

Is this situational irony?

Scenario: Someone posts a Snapchat story every single day with the caption “I’m quitting social media forever.”

Is this situational irony?

Scenario: Naruto, who never gives up and always says “Believe it!”… gives up on eating the last piece of cake because it’s too hard.

Is this situational irony?

Scenario: In a horror show, the character who keeps saying “Let’s split up, it’ll be safer” is the first one to get caught by the monster.

Is this situational irony?

Scenario: A math teacher solves a complicated equation correctly on the first try.

Is this situational irony?

Scenario: The vending machine that says "100% reliable" eats your dollar and gives nothing back.

Is this situational irony?

Scenario: An engineer retires and becomes a stand-up comedian.

Is this situational irony?

Create your own situational irony scenario.

What is dramatic irony?

The audience knows a key piece of information. The character acts in ignorance. The humor (or tension) comes from watching them stumble toward the truth.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The scene: Juliet takes a sleeping potion that makes her appear dead. Romeo finds her, believes she is truly dead, and poisons himself. She wakes up moments later and then kills herself.
What the audience knows: The audience knows Juliet is only asleep. Romeo does not.
Why it’s dramatic irony: We watch Romeo make a fatal decision based on false information. We want to scream, “She’s alive!”

Identifying Dramatic Irony (To Help You Prep for Orals)

Instructions:
Read the passage below. Then explain why this is an example of dramatic irony. In your answer, you must:

1. State what the character believes to be true.

2. State what the audience/reader knows that the character does not.

3. Explain how this gap creates dramatic irony and why it matters to the story.

Pahom, a peasant who is dissatisfied with his life, complains about his lack of land. In a moment of frustration, he boasts:
“If I had plenty of land, I shouldn’t fear the Devil himself!”
Unseen by Pahom, the Devil is sitting behind the stove. The Devil hears this and decides to grant Pahom’s wish – not as a blessing, but as a temptation to lead him into greed and destruction.

Student Answer

1. What Pahom believes:
Pahom believes that owning plenty of land will make him completely safe and secure, even safe from the Devil. He thinks more land equals protection and happiness.

2. What the reader knows:
The reader knows the Devil is real in this story and has overheard Pahom’s boast. The Devil plans to use land as a trap: giving Pahom more land will actually lead him to greed, exhaustion, and eventually death.

3. Why this is dramatic irony and why it matters:
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something a character does not. Here, Pahom confidently says he wouldn’t fear the Devil if he had land – but we know the Devil is already plotting his downfall using that very land. Pahom thinks he’s winning; we know he’s walking into a trap. This irony creates suspense and tragedy because we watch him destroy himself while he remains blissfully unaware. It reinforces the story’s theme that greed is self-destructive.

Oral Test Questions (with what Ms. Selma listens for)

1. You said Pahom thinks more land equals safety. Why doesn’t he realize the danger?

• Listens for: Student explains that Pahom is blinded by greed or frustration; he doesn’t know the Devil is real or listening. This shows understanding that dramatic irony relies on a character’s innocent ignorance.

2. How would the story change if Pahom did know the Devil was behind the stove?

• Listens for: Student recognizes that dramatic irony would disappear. The tension and tragedy would vanish because Pahom would act differently (e.g., take back his words, be careful). This shows understanding of irony’s function.

3. At what moment in the story does the dramatic irony pay off most strongly?

• Listens for: Student identifies Pahom’s death at the end (or his exhausting run for land). The payoff is when he finally gets all the land he wanted, but dies, proving the Devil’s trap worked. Shows ability to trace irony across the plot.

4. Is this dramatic irony meant to be funny or sad? Explain.

• Listens for: Student says it’s tragic/sad, not funny. Pahom’s ignorance leads to his destruction. This contrasts with comic dramatic irony (e.g., in a sitcom) and shows understanding of tone.

5. If you were teaching this story to a friend, how would you prove that Tolstoy uses dramatic irony here?

• Listens for: Student points to the exact moment: Pahom’s boast vs. the Devil listening. They might also quote “shouldn’t fear the Devil” and contrast it with the reader’s knowledge. Shows ability to locate evidence.

6. Could this same kind of dramatic irony happen in real life? Why or why not?

• Listens for: Student says no, because dramatic irony requires an audience with secret knowledge (like a reader or viewer). In real life, no one has that omniscient perspective – though we can have similar situations when one person knows something another doesn’t. Shows conceptual understanding.

7. How does this example of dramatic irony help teach the story’s main message?

• Listens for: Student connects irony to theme: greed is self-destructive, and wanting more land leads to ruin. The irony makes the message powerful because we watch Pahom walk into a trap he cannot see.

Types of Irony in the Story

Type of Irony Definition Example from The Interlopers

Situational Irony What happens is the opposite of what is expected The two enemies finally become friends

—but are then eaten by wolves.

Dramatic Irony The reader knows something the characters don’t The reader senses the approaching

figures are not rescuers, but Ulrich and Georg hope they are

Why is the ending of The Interlopers ironic?

A

Because the tree falls unexpectedly

B

Because the men reconcile but are then killed by wolves

C

Because Ulrich laughs at Georg

D

Because the men planned to be rescued

What makes Ulrich's 'Wolves' moment ironic?

A

The reader already suspects the figures are not human

B

Wolves never appear in the story

C

Ulrich is joking

D

Georg is happy about the wolves

Which tone describes the resolution of the story?

A

D) Boring and uneventful

B

B) Ironic and darkly humorous

C

A) Joyful and uplifting

D

C) Romantic and hopeful

What theme is shown when the wolves arrive?

A

Nature’s indifference to human conflicts

B

The beauty of the forest

C

The importance of wealth

D

The power of friendship

What do the wolves represent in the story?

A

Friendship and alliance

B

Peace and resolution

C

Wealth and power

D

Nature's unpredictability and danger