titles for essays about irony

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Getting Catchy Titles for Essays when You’re Just Not in the Mood

You have struggled through writing that essay or paper. You are tired of the topic and just want to slam a title on the thing and get it turned in. Being creative with a title for an essay is just not high on your priority list now — sleep probably is.

Here’s the thing about a title for an essay: It is the first thing your instructor will see. If it is dull and rather boring, that sets the tone for the entire piece. On the other hand, clever titles for essays and papers will set an entirely different tone — they will make that instructor sit up and take notice.

Here’s a simple example of the difference. The novel Moby Dick is a pretty dark tale. Melville did insert his own brand of humor, however — it too was dark and ironic. If you were to write an essay on the humor in Moby Dick, you could title it “Humor in Moby Dick” (boring and dull), or you could brainstorm for a catchy title for an essay, as one student did: “A Whale of a Laugh.” This title carries the irony that is in the novel and sends a message that you took some of these ideas for essay titles to be creative.

First: How to Title an Essay

Before you worry about what is or isn’t clever enough, it’s important to know the basics. Specifically, how to write a title for an essay: What should you keep in mind before you begin your attempt to create a title that isn’t just attention-grabbing but also passes academic muster?

Start with the basics. Know the rules for essay titles. These can vary a bit depending on your citation format. For example, essay titles in MLA may have different rules for capitalization than another format such as Chicago or Turabian. Do your research so you know when to italicize, or follow other guidelines. Google something like ‘APA title examples’, and you should receive plenty of great information.

Now you know how to write and punctuate essay titles according to the rules. What’s next?

Learn What Makes an Essay Title a Winner

As you learn how to come up with a title for an essay, remember that what works in one situation may not in another. For example, titles should always be interesting, but a funny essay title isn’t always appropriate. Always use your common sense. It is better to write a relevant and persuasive title than to try and be clever only to have the effort fall flat.

How Do You Get Catchy Titles for Essays?

It’s hard. Clever titles for essays and papers do not just pop into most students’ heads. And the more they seem to try, the harder it becomes. You can do a few things to get “a clever title for my essay” though. You might want to try some of these tips.

Use your thesis statement for inspiration — but don’t copy it

Add a number

Consider the audience

Stick with the overall tone of the essay

Keep it brief

Don’t overcomplicate things

Find a Comparison

Sometimes, ideas for essay titles can come from comparisons, often called analogies. Here’s an example of this type of title: “Student Loan Debtors — America’s Indentured Servant.”

Using an analogy for a title for essay pieces can spark interest and sometimes some intrigue. In the title above, a reader will certainly be intrigued by the comparisons you will be drawing between these two groups.

You also have the opportunity to be a bit controversial here. That can be a risky choice. However, it is also a great technique to get people intrigued about your paper. Even if they strongly disagree with your comparison, they may just want to read and find out more.

Put Your Opinion in the Title

Sometimes, clever titles for essays can be created by including your opinion , if you are writing a persuasive or argumentative piece. You may, for example, have the opinion that the “War on Drugs” has been a miserable failure and has only served to fill up our prisons. A title for college essay writing on this topic might be: “The War on Drugs — Another Great Experiment Gone Wrong.” (the first Great Experiment, of course, was Prohibition).

Just be aware that this approach sets the bar really high. Now you must deliver an essay that really proves your opinion is based on something solid.

Use Media References

Witty titles for essays can sometimes be found from using a popular television show or type of show . For example, you may be writing an essay on the “Dumbing Down of America.” You might want to pick a title such as, “America’s Game Show — How Dumb Can We Get?”

Present a Problem and its Consequences

Writing a title for an essay can be as simple and direct as stating the thesis right in the title. Usually, this will involve some type of problem that an individual or society faces and the serious consequences of not being solved. Here is an example: “America Wins First Place — the Most Obese and Unhealthiest Nation on the Planet.” Catchy titles for papers really can be this easy and engaging.

Provide a Personal Response

Especially when creating titles for reflective essays, giving a personal response in the title can be effective. For example, “Journey into Darkness — Reflections on a Prison Field Experience.” You may not have the most creative titles for reflective essay writing, but you can still engage a reader with a genuine response in the title. This approach would work very well with narrative essays or other writings where you are asked to share your experiences or opinions.

Title Examples Can Help

As you learn how to make a good essay title, remember that you aren’t alone. Many other student essay writers had come before you and figured out some great techniques. Don’t forget that you can get some great information from books, magazines, and newspapers.

Look around for examples. Start by simply searching Google for your topic. You will find plenty of examples to help you learn how to title a paper that is custom-tailored for your particular subject.

What About Generating College Essay Titles Automatically?

Believe it or not, you can find a title generator online. The question is, should you use it. The answer is maybe. These tools can be somewhat helpful. There may even be times when you get the perfect essay title. Just keep in mind that these tools are not precise. They tend to miss a lot of subtleties, and many don’t provide you with a perfectly proofread title. However, they can be fun. You can also use them to get some new ideas or inspiration.

How to Write a Title in an Essay: Getting Help

There’s no shame in asking for some help as you learn how to make an essay title. If you have questions about how to punctuate essay titles, take a look at your school’s writing center website. Do you wonder if your essay title page format is correct? In that case, check with your instructor, and refer to your assignment rubric. If you aren’t sure if your title is catchy or funny, run it by your study group.

Getting that Title is Just One Step

Catchy titles for papers can motivate a reader to move into reading your piece. But if that piece is a disappointment because it is not well-researched, does not flow well, or contains grammar mistakes, your title is worth very little. Don’t become so hyper-focused on how to title a college essay that you neglect more important aspects of your paper.

If you have concerns about any of the aspects of writing your essays and papers, especially when topics are assigned that you dislike or find difficult, you will want to get some help, perhaps from a professional writing service. To find the “good guys” in the business, check out the best college paper writing service reviews that will score services based upon their quality of products.

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Home Essay Samples Literature

Essay Samples on Irony

A sound of thunder: the importance of a wary treatment of technological progress.

In the short story A Sound of Thunder, author Ray Bradbury’s main argument is that the decisions that may seem irrelevant at first can end up being far more serious than expected. In the story, the main character Eckles, pays $10,000 to travel back in...

A Sound of Thunder

Exploring the Human Experience in "Looking for Alaska"

Looking for Alaska, a novel written by John Green, explores the intricacies of life and how it shapes us through the experiences of its protagonist, Miles "Pudge" Halter. The novel's themes of love, loss, and friendship are conveyed through various literary techniques, including symbolism, foreshadowing,...

Literary Devices
Looking For Alaska

The Real ‘Innocent’ Figures in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence

Edith Wharton was an American author and Pulitzer Prize winner whose personal life and passion influenced her writing (Cliffsnotes, 2018). Edith Wharton was the author of the novel of ”The Age of Innocence' which was published in 1920. In this novel, many issues were brought...

The Age of Innocence

The Third-Party Perception of the Society in Good Country People

‘Good Country People’ is comes out as an ironic title that Flannery O’Connor uses a part of the collection of short stories dubbed ‘A good man is hard to find.’ Thus from the overall theme in the short stories depicting the difficulty of finding a...

Good Country People

The Comparative Analysis Research of O’Connor’s Stories

The O’Connor stories are about showing us the way humanity is with others and mankind’s nature, she explains these in her works. “Most readers characterize clichéd speech as “empty” or “dead” and see the characters’ attempts at communicating by such speech as failed.” Not many...

Human Nature

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The Use of Verbal and Dramatic Irony in the Poem "Ozymandias"

Besides the poetic devices and smart diction in the poem, irony is also used to give the audience a contrast between the prosperous past and bleak present which emphasizes the futility of arrogance and past grandeur. Ozymandias was once believed as a mighty emperor, the...

The Theme Of Over-Reliance On Technology In “The Veldt”

Theme in a story is its underlying message or big idea which can be expressed in many ways. The Happylife Home is a home with the greatest technology. In “The Veldt”, Ray Bradbury effectively utilizes foreshadowing and irony to simultaneously develop the theme of over-reliance...

Virtual Reality

The Functions of Humor, Irony and Satire in the Literature of the Shoah

According to a famous quote by Theodor W. Adorno, “Writing poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric”. While this quote is debatable in itself, another question arises concerning the topic which is no less problematic: but what about humor? As a matter of fact, Jewish humor existed...

Analysis of Stylistic Devices Used in Eliot's "Silas Marner"

Introduction One crucial component of any literature text is the associated literary devices used by the author. Stylistic devices, also known as figures of speech, refer to the vital tools of writing that are employed in literary works to create lively and interesting texts. They...

The Rhetorics and Irony in Alighieri's Inferno and More’s Utopia 1

Irony is a conventional rhetorical device used by authors to convey to their readers an incongruity with the aim to relay humor or ridicule, or to depreciate an idea. Thomas More's Utopia and Dante Alighieri's Inferno present perfect examples where irony is used to influence...

Thomas More

The Irony of Socrates' Prose 'Apology'

In this narrative, I will attempt to explain the Apology, by Socrates. He proclaimed his innocence of charges that he had suborned the youth men Of Athens and he would attempt to plead his case in front of several Athenian Council members (Alan De Botton,...

The Apology

Analysis Of Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal

Suggesting the nation alleviate its issue of poverty by using the children of the underprivileged Irish population as livestock to feed the rich - making the starving children in Ireland useful members of the commonwealth in a cheap and easy fashion. Crude commentary on England’s...

A Modest Proposal

Best topics on Irony

1. A Sound of Thunder: The Importance of a Wary Treatment of Technological Progress

2. Exploring the Human Experience in “Looking for Alaska”

3. The Real ‘Innocent’ Figures in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence

4. The Third-Party Perception of the Society in Good Country People

5. The Comparative Analysis Research of O’Connor’s Stories

6. The Use of Verbal and Dramatic Irony in the Poem “Ozymandias”

7. The Theme Of Over-Reliance On Technology In “The Veldt”

8. The Functions of Humor, Irony and Satire in the Literature of the Shoah

9. Analysis of Stylistic Devices Used in Eliot’s “Silas Marner”

10. The Rhetorics and Irony in Alighieri’s Inferno and More’s Utopia 1

11. The Irony of Socrates’ Prose ‘Apology’

12. Analysis Of Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal

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How to Write About Irony in a Literary Essay

Irony is used across literary genres to a variety of effects. There are two main steps to writing about irony in a literary essay. First, there’s the definition: You’ll need to recognize irony in the text and figure out what type of irony it is. Second, there’s the interpretation: You’ll comment on how that specific type of irony contributes to the overall meaning of the larger text.

Verbal Irony

In general, you can think of irony as occurring when an outcome undermines someone’s expectations. Verbal irony happens when conversational expectations are undermined. When another person listens to you speak, he usually assumes you’re saying what you mean. If you use verbal irony, you say something that you don’t want a listener to take literally. 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. As is probably clear, verbal irony is heavily context dependent -- listeners or readers must know something about the speaker’s situation to interpret it correctly.

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that a character doesn’t know. Usually, this “something” is a crucial piece of information for a decision that the character has to make. (This is the kind of irony that makes you scream at an unsuspecting heroine, “Don’t go out the back door-- the killer’s waiting there!”) For example, in William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet,” Romeo finds Juliet in a drugged sleep, but mistakenly believes that she is dead and, in great distress, commits suicide. The gap between Romeo’s perspective -- that Juliet is dead -- and the audience’s perspective -- that Juliet is merely feigning death -- constitutes dramatic irony.

Situational Irony

Situational irony happens when a text’s plot takes a completely different turn than both the characters and the audience expect. 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.”

Interpreting Irony

Once you pinpoint and define irony, in your literary essay, you can show how irony is working to create, reinforce or undermine an overall theme of the text. For instance, in the example of dramatic irony from “Romeo and Juliet,” you could argue that Romeo’s hasty actions in response to his assumption comment on a larger theme of the play: the feud between his and Juliet’s parents. Although we might understand a smitten young lover’s rash decision to join his sweetheart in death, we can contrast his excusable immaturity with the parents’ inexcusable immaturity in holding a grudge that costs many lives. The dramatic irony of the death scene heightens our emotional response to the unnecessary nature of the lovers’ deaths. That emotion then makes us more invested in the play’s resolution, when the feuding families reconcile, and helps us to internalize one of the play’s messages: Bitter hate wounds the hater most deeply. 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.

Kansas State University: Critical Concepts: Verbal Irony; Lyman Baker

Elissa Hansen has more than nine years of editorial experience, and she specializes in academic editing across disciplines. She teaches university English and professional writing courses, holding a Bachelor of Arts in English and a certificate in technical communication from Cal Poly, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Wyoming, and a doctorate in English from the University of Minnesota.

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20 Irony Examples: In Literature and Real Life

Millie Dinsdale

Irony occurs when what happens is the opposite from what is expected.

Writers use irony as a literary technique to add humor, create tension, include uncertainty, or form the central plot of a story.

We will be looking at the four types of irony (three common and one uncommon) and providing examples and tips to help you identify and use them in your work.

Quick Reminder of What Irony Is

Irony examples in literature, irony examples in real life, which scenario is an example of irony.

Irony is a rhetorical device in which the appearance of something is opposite to its reality .

There are four main types of irony: verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, and Socratic irony . Socratic irony is not a literary device, and therefore we will not be looking at examples, but it is worth being aware of.

Verbal Irony is when a speaker says one thing but means something entirely different. The literal meaning is at odds with the intended meaning.
Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the characters don’t.
Situational Irony is when what happens is the opposite of what you expect.
Socratic Irony is when a person feigns ignorance in order to get another to admit to knowing or doing something. It is named after Socrates, the Greek philosopher, who used this technique to tease information out of his students.

Why is irony important to understand? Along with being a key rhetorical device, irony can also be very effective when used correctly in writing.

To demonstrate this fact we have selected ten examples of irony usage from popular literature. Warning: this list includes a few spoilers.

1) The main characters’ wishes in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are a perfect example of situational irony .

The characters go on a quest to fulfill their hearts’ desires and instead of doing so they realize that they already had what they wanted all along. It is unexpected because the reader might assume that all of their desires will be gifted to the four main characters but, in the end, it’s unnecessary.

2) The conclusion between the two primary opponents in The Night Circus contains a large amount of situational irony .

The reader is led to expect that either Marco or Celia will win but, in the end, they both end up working together to keep their creation alive. The competition is not as black and white (pardon the pun) as it initially seems.

3) The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is full of verbal irony . A great example of this is when Dr Jekyll says “I am quite sure of him,” when referring to Mr Hyde.

This is verbal irony because the reader finds out that Hyde is actually Jekyll’s alter ego, so it would be expected that he knows himself well.

4) Shakespeare creates dramatic irony in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet through the line: “A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”

This well-known example is ironic because the reader knows from the very beginning that their romance will end in death, but they don’t yet know how.

5) Alice’s changing relationship with the Bandersnatch in Alice in Wonderland is situationally ironic .

When we first meet the Bandersnatch, he is ferocious and attempts to harm Alice. When Alice returns his eye, they become friends and the two work together to defeat the Jabberwocky. The audience expects to see an enemy but are instead presented with an ally.

6) George Orwell masters situational irony in Animal Farm through the animals’ endless and fruitless battle to obtain freedom.

All of the animals work together to escape the tyranny of the humans who own them. In doing so they end up under the even stricter rule of the pigs.

7) Roald Dahl’s short story A Lamb to a Slaughter is full of dramatic irony .

A housewife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb when he asks for a divorce. The police come looking for evidence and unknowingly dispose of it when they are fed the murder weapon for dinner.

8) The repeated line “May the odds be ever in your favor” in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is verbally ironic .

Everyone from district 1 through 12 can be offered as a child sacrifice and has a 1/24 chance of surviving. Even if they do survive they are then delivered back under the control of the Capitol, so the odds are in nobody’s favor.

9) The disparity between children and adults in Roald Dahl’s Matilda is situationally ironic .

Most of the adults in Matilda’s life are hot-headed, uneducated, and unreasonable, while she as a six-year old is more mature than most of them. The traditional roles of child and adult are unexpectedly flipped on their heads.

10) The hit-and-run in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is situationally ironic .

Daisy Buchanan kills Myrtle when Myrtle runs in front of Gatsby’s car. It is ironic because Myrtle is Tom Buchanan’s mistress but Daisy does not know this. She unintentionally killed her husband's mistress.

Irony works so well in literature because it is so common in real life. Have you ever found yourself saying “well that’s ironic” to a situation in your life?

You could be talking about verbal, situational, or dramatic irony. Let’s take a look at a few everyday examples of each type.

11) When you find out that your pulmonologist (lung doctor) smokes.

This is situationally ironic because you’d expect this doctor of all people to avoid smoking because they understand all of the risks.

12) When someone falls over for the tenth time while ice-skating and says “I meant to do that.”

This person cannot be intending to fall over all the time but they are using verbal irony to make light of a possibly painful situation.

13) Your dog eats his certificate of dog-training obedience.

You would expect that in the process of having obtained an obedience certificate, the dog would also have learnt not to eat random objects. This is an example of situational irony .

14) The fire hydrant is on fire.

This is situationally ironic because the last thing that you would expect to be on fire is the object that is designed to fight fires. A similar example to this would be if a fire station were on fire.

15) A girl is teasing her friend for having mud on his face but she doesn’t know that she also has mud on her face.

From the point of view of the friend, this is an example of dramatic irony because he knows something that she does not.

16) Your mom buys a non-stick pan but has to throw it away because the label is so sticky she cannot get it off.

You would predict that the pan was completely non-stick but are proven wrong at the first hurdle, which is situationally ironic .

17) When someone crashes into a “thank you for driving carefully'' sign.

The vision of a car crashed into the sign makes it clear that they did not drive carefully at all, which is situationally ironic .

18) Buying your English teacher a mug that reads “your the best teacher ever.”

The poor English teacher may feel like they have failed in their job in this situationally ironic situation where their student has bought them a mug with a grammar mistake.

19) When a child says “I want crisps now!” and the parent says: “Thank you so much for using your good manners.”

The child is being impolite and the parent is not actually congratulating the child on their manners in this example of verbal irony . They mean the exact opposite.

20) You can’t open your new scissors because you don’t have any scissors to cut through the plastic.

This example of situational irony is far too common. In buying scissors, it can be expected that you do not have any, so it is ironic that the packaging is designed for someone who already has a pair.

Are you ready for a quick quiz to test your knowledge of irony? The test is split into the three types of irony.

Which of These Are Examples of Situational Irony?

1) A police station is robbed.

2) A child loses his rucksack after being told to take care not to lose it.

3) A person eats sweets while preaching about healthy eating

Only 1) and 3) are examples of situational irony. Sentence 2) is not a situational irony example because it could be expected that the child might lose the rucksack and that is why they were told to take care.

It would, however, be ironic if he subsequently lost his “Most Organized in 2nd Grade” certificate five minutes after being awarded it.

Which of These Are Examples of Verbal Irony?

1) Saying “The weather is lovely today” while it is hailing.

2) “Wow that perfume is so lovely, did you bathe in it?”

3) Saying “Thank you so much for your help” after someone has crushed your new glasses while helping to look for them.

Only example 1) is verbally ironic, the other two are sarcastic comments.

Verbal irony and sarcasm are often confused but there is one big difference between them: verbal irony is when what you say is the opposite of what you mean while sarcasm is specifically meant to embarrass or insult someone.

Which of These Are Examples of Dramatic Irony?

1) A small ship without life boats is stuck in a monumental storm in the middle of the Atlantic.

2) Three characters are killed and a fourth seems to be going the same way.

3) A girl walks down the same alley we have just seen a known murderer walk down.

Only option 3) is an example of dramatic irony because the audience knows that the murderer is down the alley but the girl does not.

Although the other two examples are undeniably dramatic, there is no inherent irony because the audience has no more knowledge about what will happen than those involved.

Why Should You Use Irony in Your Writing?

Irony can be an effective tool to make a reader stop and think about what has just happened.

It can also emphasize a central theme or idea by adding an unexpected twist to the events of the story.

What brilliant examples of irony in literature have we missed? Share your favorites in the comments.

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Irony In Writing – Examples & Using It Right

The Titanic was an unsinkable ship” ” A deaf Ludwig van Beethoven published another great symphony” ” Life only truly begins when we have something for which we are willing to die.” You get the gist. Capturing the essence of irony in writing is the contrast between what is real and what is not while establishing the proper context. Irony, by definition, is a technique in which contradictory statements or situations reveal a different reality from what appears to be true.

Honestly, there is no right or wrong when it comes to penning down ironies in your prose. However, the writer must bear in mind that the readers should understand the irony. The crux of creating a good ironic story always holds an emotion. Be it happiness, sorrow or just an everyday mundane story. Unfolding through the emotions with conflicts is what makes irony one of the strongest literary devices. With this, let us delve into the different forms of irony.

Verbal Irony

Verbal irony, in a nutshell, is a contrast between what is being said and what is being meant. They help readers understand a character’s emotions and how they feel and react to any situation.

Beautifully portrayed in Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale”. Atwood uses verbal irony to differentiate groups of people. The frontline soldiers of Gilead were called ‘Angels’ who were the most feared individuals of the state. The term ‘Aunt’ was denoted to the highest-ranking, abusive women. You can find the use of verbal irony across various genres like romance, mystery and thriller novels.

As a writer, one of the simplest hacks to use verbal irony in your writing is to find contrasting circumstances in your story and detail it out. However, this should be done in a subtle, non over-the-top way. Verbal ironies are also often used in real life with common phrases like saying “Oh fantastic” when a situation is really bad, or “What a great start to the day” after spilling coffee on the shirt.

Situational Irony

Situational ironies are often said to go against the anticipation of readers. Going against the expected outcome of a storyline or a situation with the least possible circumstance often leads to the best situational ironies. This is often used in horror novels as it adds a layer of suspense and thrill to the story. Situational ironies are usually done with an element of bizarre, with odd juxtapositions and disparities.

Phrases like “The fire station is burning down”, “A marriage counsellor files for a divorce”, “Pilots having a fear of heights”, “A cobbler’s child had no shoes” are perfect examples of situational irony. Here we have an established storyline with characters and a set-up which is usually the exact opposite of the circumstance.

This has been highly popularized by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and The Gift Of the Magi by O Henry to name a few.

Dramatic Irony

Primarily seen in fiction, dramatic ironies depict situations opposing what the reader is invested in. However, the characters involved in the situation are unaware of it, and the audience has more information. Dramatic irony is generally based on events related to the character, while situational ironies can happen due to unforeseen circumstances.

Since the audience knows more than the characters, dramatic ironies are often used to create suspense and tension. You can commonly see dramatic irony being used in historical fiction and psychological thriller novels. While writing dramatic irony, generate interest in the readers by allowing them to know more.

For example, your lead character was happily waiting for his spouse to arrive, but the spouse was murdered in the previous chapter. Now that the reader knows what is coming, adding to the level of intrigue. A phrase like “It’s so beautiful I want to die” is one of the simplest examples of dramatic irony. Once a rarely used literary device, it has been popularised due to the Greek tragedies like Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex & Shakespeare’s Othello and Macbeth. Hence, it is also often known as tragic ironies.

Ironic features are often considered one of the most innovative ways to bring life to characters. So if you’re a writer who wants to publish a novel of their own, consider using one of these forms of irony to build turning points in your story and create a beautiful multi-layered narrative.

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