Response to Literature Writing Prompt
Authors can use irony to make their audience stop and think about what has just been said, or to
emphasize a central idea. The audience's role in realizing the difference between what is said and what
is normal or expected is essential to the successful use of irony.
Writing Directions: Choose one of the short stories below and write an essay that answers the question
how an author uses irony to either create excitement, surprise, or suspense in literature.
 The Most a Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
 Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
 The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson
In order to create a strong thesis statement, you should aim to include these items:
●The word irony
●The word “excitement”, “suspense” or “surprise”
●The phrase “literary device”
●The idea that the author is using irony to accomplish something
●The idea that the reader is the one experiencing the excitement, suspense or surprise
Example Thesis: Through the use of irony, an author of literature can create excitement
in the reader.
Remember the proof must be given from the actual story to show that excitement can be enhanced;
this will be your textural evidence.
●Topic sentences in this essay will contain these elements:
●Author name
●Story title
●The claim that the use of irony in the story heightens the reader’s excitement, suspense, surprise, or
intensifies the reader’s emotions
Example Topic Sentence: Guy de Maupassant, in his story “The Necklace”, uses situational irony
to enhance the intensity of emotion experienced by the reader.
●remember to explain the irony, make it clear how this irony affects the reader’s emotions.
Do not use outside sources. Use only the assigned reading and your own mind. Plagiarism is the use of
words and/or ideas from another author that you fail to cite. I have a ZERO TOLERANCE plagiarism
policy.
Essays will be turned in on Monday November 17, 2014. Points will be taken off of
essays turned in late.