Lesson 11

[David Thompson]

Assignment One – Oh the irony.

Game of Thrones

Irony discovered:

Daenerys’ brother Viserys always wanted a golden crown. He dies by a golden crown.

Bran Stark’s love of climbing and being athletic, was expected to become a soldier, but he got disabled due to a climbing “accident”.

Eddard Stark killed numerous people by beheading them himself in the name of the king. He dies by being beheaded in the name of another king.

Also, Ned is the epitome of honor, and is quite notorious for mercy too, but it was both these things that caused his downfall and ultimate demise.

Daenerys Targaryen, an innocent and naïve girl, sold as a slave by her brother, ended up becoming the Mother of Dragons, making her powerful in the eyes of her tribe, after surviving the funeral pyre of husband, Drogo.

[David Wickenden]

David Wickenden Creating Irony!

Lesson 11 Assignment #1

What did I learn?

There are many examples of irony in most stories if we are open to it. It’s all about perception; some are in your face, while other are under the surface that we sense but do not identify. Everyone loves it when the antagonist gets it in the end. If the means is similar to what the antagonist has done in the past, the irony is that much more appreciated.

Mr. Robot

· Abused by Father, yet has a personality that talks and acts like his father.

· Elliot is lonely but refuses to open himself up to anyone.

· Wants to take down ECorps but doesn’t want the fallout.

· Elliot first comes across as a saviour, but becomes a destroyer.

· Elliot tries to save Shayla but ends up getting her killed.

· Elliot can hack anyone but himself.

· Elliot is lonely but he has so many voices in his head.

Assignment #2

· Laura, who helps people, now is a killer.

· Janice say’s she is cured, but still cannot face a dark room.

· Laura wants to protect but must give up everything to do so.

· To hunt monsters, Laura must become a monster herself.

· Commander of RCMP wants the truth, but will sacrifice Janice to keep his job.

· Minister of Justice wants Laura dead.

· Commander puts Janice on task force to act as scapegoat.

· Laura, the hunter is hunted.

· Janice was once a victim and is now a persecutor of child abusers.

· Laura looks for justice and then kills child abusers.

· Janice is lonely, but fear of anyone knowing of her past keeps her alone.

· Laura wants to protect Janice yet abuses her trust.

· Laura learned the skills of first responders to help them, but now uses those skills to hunt child abusers.

· Government wants Laura to face judgement, but is willing to kill her.

· Judge takes bribes.

· Janice and Laura both hunt child abusers but from different ends of the law.

[David Thompson]

Assignment Two

Angels of Vengeance Creating Irony

What I learned doing this assignment is that, even though I’ve written two novels on this, man, it needs some work to really become what it can become, starting with irony. So, no matter what, this will improve my entire project, book or TV show.

Character Irony possible choices (or Plot Irony)

Dan is an atheist, needs to be able to touch, feel and see anything to accept it as real. Yet, he turns into a literal Grecian hero by the end of the 2nd season, with growth through season 1, being face to face with Zeus and other gods/goddesses.

Megaera is a goddess, falls in love with a mortal man (against her own intentions) and then becomes pregnant and loses her goddess abilities.

The serial killer… is also an FBI profiler! (A.K.A. Dexter)

Gaia – literally “Mother Nature” has trouble getting plants to grow in her garden.

Sorath, who towards the end of the books, and also in the TV concept, loves to lop enemies’ heads off…. And at the end of the big battle, Megaera lops off HIS head (I seriously wrote this long before watching Game of Thrones, so it’s kinda a low hanging fruit here)

Plot irony –

Murderers who have escaped detection are killed by the Furies in the same manner that was used to murder their victim.

[Anne Grant]

11. AG’s Creating Irony!

ASSIGNMENT 1: UNORTHODOX

I learned from assignment 1 how many ironies enliven this show.

Two Ironies

• In the opening scene, other women say, she is not trapped inside by children, when she has been unable to get pregnant. She may in fact be pregnant, and she is running away.

• Although she escapes an Hassidic community, her powerful singing of an Hassidic song wins her a scholarship at the music school in Berlin.

ASSIGNMENT 2: ABOVE US ONLY SKY

From Assignment 2, I learned how much potential there is to reveal opposites in this story.

Situational Irony:

• This is a reverse conversion story.<div>

• Dedicated pastors discover in retirement they do not believe in God and feel

• Christians say “Neither male nor female in Christ; we are all one,” but insist that women submit to men’s authority.

Character Irony:

Anne

• So heavenly-minded she is no earthly good </div><div>

• Jesus is her best and only friend

• Sings about joy but feels anger,
About peace, but feels conflict.

• Prays in tongues, but cannot speak in English about feelings

• Gets good grades, but cannot think critically

• Charming in public, but punitive in private

• Believes God is giving her assignments for a divine purpose

• Wants to speak for powerless, who resent her power

Phil

• Good problem-solver cannot please wife </div><div>

• Validates Anne’s anger at men and at him.

Both

• See themselves as both pastors and prophets, comforting afflicted and afflicting the comfortable </div>

• Inspire others to believe supernatural ideas that they later reject

• Discover that “supernatural” ideas did not come from beyond them but from within their brains

[Michael O’Keefe]

Mike – Creating Irony

What I learned doing this is irony allows you to juxtapose the expected with something new, something deeper that takes the character’s arc and develops it.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show

I. Look back through your previous assignments, find at least 20 different situations or character components that you could go opposite to create irony.

Review items that could supply Irony.

Character Name: Caleb Sutherland

Caleb’s Hidden Agenda: To find Raquel in Shangra La & be w/ her

IRONY – Caleb finds Raquel and she is no longer interested in him.

Caleb’s Deception: deceiving Victoria on ‘why’ he is going to Shangra La.

IRONY – Victoria is killed and Caleb ends up finding her in Shangra La, not Raquel.

——–

Caleb Hopes: He tries to reunite his family

IRONY – Caleb reunites his family; they are dysfunctional and NOT what he imagined.

——–

Caleb’s Weakness: his head in the clouds, won’t see the bad in people

IRONY – Not focused allows him to plan w/out fearing the odds and their slim chance of success

————————————————

Character Name: Charles Stewart

Charles’s Hidden Agenda: Return to 1850s and be w/ Subira, his woman

IRONY – Charles goes back and discovers she has married someone else and has a family.

———

Charles Hopes: to find a way to return to his time and fears he will never get to go back in time.

IRONY – Charles finds a way to return to his time to discover his lover has married someone else.

———

Charles’ Weakness: he is ignorant about today’s world; he lives in the past.

IRONY: his past has changed and when he returns, he is more lost than at home.

———————————————–

Character Name: Rick Sutherland

Rick’s Hidden Agenda – be #1 in his industry; he’s a win-at-all-costs kind of guy.

IRONY – Wants Carolyn’s business so bad, he falls into her trap and gets his wife and daughter killed

———-

Rick’s Fears: His abilities: who and what he is, will get in the way.

IRONY: It does; he destroys his family, his way of life, everything because he refuses to embrace it.

———

Rick’s Weakness: he is stubborn and obsessive to a fault

IRONY: Rick refuses to face who and what he is until it’s too late

—————————————————

Character Name: Shuri

Shuri’s Hidden Agenda: Recreate a reality so the good guys win

IRONY – rewriting history brings with it new complications and problems.

————

Shuri’s Hope to be able to rewrite history and create a new reality.

IRONY – she is able to do so; it creates a whole host of unforeseen problems

———–

Shuri’s Weakness – her need to control the future, to make things right

IRONY – Controlling the future has created a future she can no longer control.

————————————————–

Character Name: Victoria

Victoria’s Hidden Agenda: Marry Caleb and become a mother; she wants a family.

IRONY – planned parenthood clinic she went to for her abortion, tied her tubes w/out her consent.

—————-

Victoria’s Deception: Not on the pill, wants to become pregnant

IRONY – she cannot become pregnant because her tubes are tied.

————–

Victoria Fears: she will die young like her mother.

IRONY – She does. Victoria is killed by Victor, her jealous ex-boyfriend.

————–

Victoria’s Weakness: needs to be in love and loved; has abandonment issues due to her mom’s death.

IRONY – She finds whole new kind of love in Shangra La, after she is murdered.

II. Select the ones that work well for the show and share the character and situational irony ideas with us. The following ones work for me:

(1) Victoria Fears: she will die young like her mother.

IRONY – she does. She is killed by Victor her jealous ex-boyfriend

(2) Victoria’s Deception: Not on the pill, wants to become pregnant

IRONY – she cannot become pregnant because her tubes are tied.

(3) Shuri’s Weakness – her need to control the future, to make things right

IRONY – Controlling the future has created a future she can no longer control.

(4) Rick’s Hidden Agenda – be #1 in his industry; he’s a win-at-all-costs kind of guy.

IRONY – Wants Carolyn’s business so bad, he falls into her trap and gets his wife and daughter killed

(5) Charles Hopes: to find a way to return to his time / Fear: he will never get to go back in time.

IRONY – Charles finds a way to return to his time to discover his lover has married someone else.

(6) Caleb’s Hidden Agenda: To find Raquel in Shangra La & be w/ her

IRONY – Caleb finds Raquel and she is no longer interested in him

(7) Caleb’s Deception: deceiving Victoria on ‘why’ he is going to Shangra La

IRONY – Victoria is killed and Caleb ends up finding her in Shangra La, not Raquel.

[Moses Quainoo]

Moses Quainoo

Module 1 – Lesson 11: Discovering Irony

“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”

ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Mr. Robot TV Show<div>

Watch Season 02 Episode 01 of Mr. Robot TV Show and notice where irony shows up in the show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.

Irony

Elliot dreams of saving the world but himself.

Wellick shoots himself as James Plouff on TV and is alive again.

Elliot can’t trust him to save the world and yet listen to the advice.

Mr. Robot shoots Elliot on the forehead and after a while, Elliot rises from the bed.

The swimming pool, shower, and media system of the female lawyer’s house are hacked and Darlene is called a first responder.

Gideon tells Elliot the FBI thinks he is the hack and Elliot is right there sitting in front of him.

Gideon asks Elliot to do anything to help him and Elliot sits there staring at him.

Gideon threatens to go to the FBI with everything he knows about Elliot.

Customers cannot access their bank accounts and the cashier cannot log in to the backup systems.

Evil Corporation is hacked and the CTO who dislikes negotiating with hackers agrees to meet them.

Tell us the irony you have already discovered in the Mr. Robot TV Show.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Old Toms
TV Show

1. Look back through your previous assignments and find at least 20 different situations or character components that you could go opposite to create irony.

A. Dancing is a ‘hobby’ for Ishey and he had to use it to raise money for the group.

B. Ishey gets an invitation from his former classmates who gained Divisions One and Two to join their group while Ishey got Division Three at the GCE ‘O’ Levels.

C. Ishey is a failed Old Tom at the finals of the school certification and in the real world a big-time fundraiser.

D. Ishey is revamping an idea for the group who are part academicians.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

Etc

2. With each, brainstorm ideas for ways it could go opposite.

3. Select the ones that work well for the Old Toms TV show and share the character and situational irony ideas with us.

CHARACTER IRONY – It took the death of Johnny Banko for Ishey to join the Old Toms.

SITUATIONAL IRONY – Ishey has to rescind the decision to avoid Van Pee and boycott the Old Toms to join the group.

</div>

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Moses Quainoo.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Moses Quainoo.

[Sydney Burtner]

Syd’s Creating Irony!

M1_L11 Discovering Irony (Assig 2)

What I learned doing this assignment is that a lot of irony is already built into the tension.

Situational

Charita is educated and trained to be an artist in a world that won’t allow her to become one.

Vanhi doesn’t want her son to become king because it’s dangerous and political. But if she abdicates on his behalf, he’ll likely be assassinated to prevent any future claim.

Charita had been falsely accused of being a tawaif (Mughal courtesan), to save her brother (and secure her autonomy), she’ll become one (or at least pretend to be one).

Rajendra was exiled because he claimed Charita was tawaif (and he tried to rape her). How will he react when he discovers that she is one (or appears to be)?

Bhad helps Vanhi make alliances with key Mughal power players. She begins to undermine him / replace his influence in those relationships.

Rajendra’s father, Narendra, manipulated him to do bad things that would ensure he inherit the throne after Abzar. Narendra’s meddling got him executed and got Rajendra exiled.

Anala tried for years to get Abzar married and producing an heir. Now, she doesn’t want his son to inherit the throne.

Anala has held a grudge against Veer for years — they used to be lovers. If he had revealed his relationship to Abzar, he would have been embraced as noble and they could have been married. He believed that would be dishonorable. Now she wants him to reveal it, so he can take the throne, even though she’s married to someone else. He’s still refusing.

In an effort to force his hand, Anala reveals, in Mughal court, his true identity. Rajendra accuses Veer of assassinating Abzar and Veer is branded a criminal.

Veer was supporting the infant crown prince’s claim to the throne. Now, Vanhi believes he’s an enemy to her and Abzar’s son.

Jagger, his friend Sugith, and many of the honorable soldiers loyal to Abzar and the infant king have joined Veer in the wilderness. They’re viewed as outlaws.

Bhad is in love with Vanhi. She uses that to her advantage. When he becomes Charita’s handler, the tables are turned.

In her role as spy, the Amir has Charita negotiate a trade agreement with the Portuguese captain. She brings him to the Amir and the Mughals kill all the Portuguese. She was used for a set up.

Charita is sent to make an offer of an alliance to the Chinese traders. She warns them of the Amir’s treachery. The Chinese take her captive.

Damyanti makes it clear to Veer that she’s interested in him more than as a client. Meanwhile, back at the palace for, she becomes Rajendra’s confidant and harlot. Is she spying on Raj for Veer, or Veer for Raj — or does she have another agenda entirely.

Character

One reason Charita wants her independence so that she’s free to choose whom she will love — Jagger as her husband / lover. By becoming a courtesan (pretending to be one), she might lose him.

Charita’s believes she’s found the perfect compromise — she will use her abilities as a dancer and performer to earn a substantial living. As she’s a spy, she believes her handler, Bhad, will make sure she’s not taken as a courtesan — but what compromises will she be forced to make as a spy? Will she lie, deceive, poison or become her target’s lover?

Rajendra wants to secure his claim to the throne, but he doesn’t want to murder his infant cousin.

Veer wanted to reveal to Abzar that he was his half brother (not to demand his birthright, just between the two of them). When Abzar’s killed, it’s too late.

Damyanti, a social climbing prostitute helps Anala free Veer. Anala, who is now married, claims to no longer have personal interest in Veer — yet, she becomes jealous when she sees how Veer and Damyanti interact.

[Leona Heraty]

Leona Heraty’s Creating Irony!

What I learned doing this assignment is…brainstorming ideas for character and situational irony is easy and fun! All I had to do was look for the opposite and pick my best ideas! Irony makes the characters and situations so much more interesting!

ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show

LOST | Season 1 | Episode 12

Watch the next episode of your Example Show and notice where irony shows up in this show — both in this episode and throughout the episodes you’ve already seen.

Tell us the irony you have already discovered in the Example Show.

LOST—Situational Irony in Season 1
The passengers crashed on a lovely, tropical island that appears to be paradise, but is filled with dangers from famine and thirst and unknown predators, human and unknown beings.

LOST—Character Irony in Season 1
Jack—surgeon…who’s an alcoholic
Kate—petite woman, who’s a tough explorer
Sawyer—Good looking guy…who’s a thief
Hurley—Fat guy who’s a doer and a helper
Michael—Guy with no parenting experience, suddenly forced to be a Dad to his estranged young son
John—Boring middle-aged bill collector who is a tough survivalist
Sayid—Communications officer who’s really a tough commando who knows how to torture Sawyer

LOST—Character Irony in Episode 12
Kate is pretty and petite, but we find out from a flashback that she was involved in a bank robbery, and one of the robbers who was killed was the man she loved and she killed him!

ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show

1. Look back through your previous assignments and find at least 20 different situations or character components that you could go opposite to create irony.

Character Irony

Genesis (Hero/Main Character) A retired middle-age nurse and property manager who seems to know very little about medicine and property management.

Jake (Main Character) One of Genesis’s tenants who is A teenager who’s a hipster yet doesn’t like modern technology and refuses to have a cell phone.

Pete (Main Character) One of Genesis’ tenants who is a 60-year old handyman who can’t fix much but who looks half his age and claims to have found the fountain of youth.

Wallis (Main Character) One of Genesis’ tenants who is an 80-year old lady who dresses and acts like she’s 25.

Morgan (Main Character) One of Genesis’ tenants who is 25-year old nurse who dresses and acts like she’s 55.

Queen of the Amphibious Sea Monsters (Antagonist) 10,000 years old with lots of tentacles with suckers that don’t work.

Helen (Connected Character) One of Genesis’ tenants who is a 30-something accountant in the town, who can’t balance her checkbook.

Kyle (Connected Character) The town’s 40-something mayor who isn’t honest.

Mike (Connected Character) One of Genesis’ tenants who is a fisherman but can’t swim and has an aversion to water.

Cassie (Connected Character) Genesis’ younger sister, 35, who says the job Genesis is taking over for her, as the new property manager, is a “breeze, like eating a corn dog at Disneyland,” but Genesis finds out it’s not that easy, and starts to take up all her time.

Cassie (Connected Character) also says the town is “like a fluffy lemon meringue pie, something out of your happiest sweet dreams,” but Genesis discovers sinister characters and places that look dangerous, then she must help lead the tenants in their escape from the invading Amphibious Sea Monsters.

Situational Irony

The island is advertised on a sign that says, “A lovely, quiet island, where nothing much happens, the way we like it!” but the place is isolated, scary place that’s invaded by amphibious sea monsters.

Some tenants appear to be friendly to the new property manager, Genesis, but are hiding something from her and the other tenants and she catches them whispering behind her back.

The town’s mayor acts like he’s promoting the town but meets with some shady characters who may not have the town’s best interest at heart.

The Amphibious Sea Monsters invade the town during the annual summer parade, Celebrate the Glories Sea.

The island is called the “safest of all the San Juan Island…yet unbeknownst to the residents, there is an old isolated road with several worn signs with a skull & crossbones that say “DO NOT ENTER! DANGER!

The only way on and off the island is via ferry…but yet, there’s a hidden, abandoned airport…with a new small plane on it.

When it rains, the Amphibious Sea Creatures get hungry and brighter and meaner.

The tenants have been assured by the mysterious owner that she won’t sell the apartment complex, but Genesis finds correspondence from a mysterious buyer who offers a huge amount of money to buy it, which is much more than it’s worth.

The ferry is brand new but suddenly develops holes in the hull and sinks, so they’re stuck on the island because the backup ferry is in for repairs.

The island is touted as having fresh, healthy sea air but a pink and light green mist surrounds the island and people start getting sick from it.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Leona Heraty.

[Wayne Petitto]

ASSIGNMENT 1: Example Show
Watch the next episode of LOST. Where IS irony in this show —and throughout.
Overall Irony is that the island appears as very threatening yet has a mystical power to give individuals what the are looking for if they give (sacrifice) something to the island.
We haven’t yet learned what John Locke gave to the island, but he’s miraculously regained the use of his legs.
Character Irony is profound in each character as though selected particularly somehow selected for this island. For instance:
Dr. Jack is the unintended and reluctant leader with a deep personal wound regarding his father. He’s a strong and intelligent leader, yet even knowing his father is dead, he foolishly follows a hallucination of his father into the jungle which ironically leads him to a source of fresh water certain to save everyone.
Kate is supposedly a criminal at large yet she’s a very companionate and helpful member of the group.
Sayid was once a member of the Iraqi Republican Guard, yet is a carrying person who wishes only to help in every way. In this episode he put into a personal dilemma between trying to save a woman with asthmas and torturing (wanting to kill) Sawyer.
Sawyer ‘s back story shows that he was a con artist but inexplicably reverses a con when is sees the couple has a little boy. This irony is also answered when we discover a letter Sawyer holds from a little boy saying, “You had sex with my mother and sole from my father. When he found out, he killed my mother then himself. I know your name and will find you.” Then in one more ironic twist, we learn it was not written to him, but he had written it, and is still looking for that person.
Also in this episode, Charlie tries to get pregnant Maggie to move inland to the shelter of the cave where the Doctor resides. He gets her to promise to do so if he can get her some peanut butter. Ironically, although he fails, he pretends an empty jar is full and shares it with her who is amused and pretends with him thus makes the wiser decision to move inland.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Your Show “Astronomical Attraction”
Wayne is Creating Irony!
What I learned doing this assignment is…

Story Irony:
Mike is a brilliant & healthy astronaut, but finds himself saved, sustained, and harbored by Desae who has been exiled from her own society.
The concept of “opposites attract” is somewhat ironic to begin with and over the course of the 1st season we find that astronomical differences attract astronomically.

Character Irony:
Mike wishes only a goodwill message from earth, but is now considered an “Alien Invader” by planet authorities.
Being a family-oriented man, Mike enjoys living with Desae and Nome, however he does not want to put them in jeopardy by planet authorities.
Desae believes Mike is sent to her by Logard (God) but thinks that Mike does not want to stay with her.
Desae’s best friend is Yardas who appears to be ditsy but is actually very wise and resourceful.
Yardas’ husband, Bendal, was once the leader of the security force that killed Desae’s betrothed when she was still carrying Nome. Neither Yardas nor Desae know this.
We are led to believe that Bendal is betraying Desae & Mike when in fact he is protecting them.
Yardas loves children but apparently Bendal cannot impregnant her.
Bendal had befriended Yardas in order to find where she was meeting with the “Believers Group” that Desae’s betrothed lead.
Bendal had been a stanch atheist government official but his relationship with Yardas and infiltration into the group has given him a change of heart.
Bendal felt so guilty about the raid he’d enabled that he resigned and bought a farm where he leased to buy a portion to Desae so he could look out for her and Nome.
All the above gets reveled in parts, first causing us to think he’s betraying Mike and Desae, then that he saves them but we cannot imagine why, until the complete back story explains the ironic behavior. This also put Yardas in the dilemma of whether to let Desae know who he’d been, thus what he’d caused.
HAL, the onboard computer AI, becomes a key character as he is programed to study the “humanoid nature” of the planet. HAL understands the planet’s society and becomes instrumental to the story.
The planet’s computers are not digital, but trigital (+1, 0. -1), giving them far more potential and speed. However, their programing had not reached the maturity of Ais like HAL. The irony in future seasons is that HAL helps the planet’s scientist design a trigital AI that is superior and faster them himself.
The scientist that had been given HAL to study is unsuccessful because HAL puts itself into a secure mode. However when he catches Desae, Mike, and Yardas attempting to steal HAL, he becomes a confidant with Mike & Desae and enjoys the great deal that he is able to learn.
The current Security Force leader is determined to find the Alien Invader, ironically over time playing cat and mouse with Desae who gains his respect.
Future irony:
Desae and Mike marry but do not believe they can spawn children until the last episode of Season 2 when they discover she is pregnant.
Once captured Mike & Desae are tried by a very Stoic Judge, after the failure of their legal representative, and representing themselves, it is their 8-year-old daughter, Toni, who proffers for them so brilliantly that the Judge sentences Mike to public service to lead a new planetary space program.
Throughout each Season there are numerous opportunities for powerful Irony. Here are a few:
Toni (their hybrid offspring) becomes the planets first astronaut and leads a mission to Earth.
When Toni gets within communication distance to Earth, she discovers they are on the brink of impending nuclear war. Her communications with them, causes a temporary armistice in an episode titled, “The Day the Earth Still Stood.”
Mike becomes a sort of profit philosopher to the atheistic planet but his bringing of religious belief in God into his teachings causes a crucial revolution against the atheistic government.
There are parallels and contrasts and certainly irony between the political/religious revolutions happening simultaneously as episodes flash between the two planets.
A meeting of all waring leaders is set up for Toni to address and broker world peace. However ironically, instead of brokering peace, Toni is kidnapped by an unknown party causing each side to blame the other quickly escalating.
Using superior intellect, and an act of God, Toni makes a miraculous escape and manages to get to her ship and launch before she’s discovered. As fighter aircraft converge on her before she leaves the atmosphere, she begins a transformable communication to the peoples of earth in several languages (she had learned from HAL). This stymies the fighters from shooting her down and causes the people to protest their own governments changing the complete situation into commotion but not war. . . Similarly on her home planet, Mike and Desae become refugees again hiding from authorities.
There is no end to the parallelism and ironic situations and character behaviors available.