There is a song about irony called, oddly enough, “Irony,” by Alanis Morissette.“Irony,” by Alanis Morissette

Irony Generally speaking, irony is an unexpected twist in a story. It may be a contrast between what is expected or hoped for and what actually happens. It may also be a contrast between what appears to be and what actually is.

Three types of irony Situational irony: An action has an effect that is opposite of what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected. Dramatic irony: A situation in a drama that is understood by the audience but not known by the characters in the play, TV show, movie, etc. Verbal irony: Someone says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to give a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.

“Ironic,” by Alanis Morissette The following parts of the song are about ironic situations (unlike most of the song): An old man turned ninety-eight. He won the lottery and died the next day…. It's a death row pardon two minutes too late…. Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly. He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye. He waited his whole life to take that flight, And as the plane crashed down he thought, "Well, isn't this nice?” It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife….(unlike most of the song):

What are some examples of irony in Fahrenheit 451?  Firemen start fires and frighten people in the novel; shouldn’t they be putting out fires and saving people?  Mildred Montag considers the actors on the TV to be her “family,” but isn’t she neglecting her real family while watching TV?  At the end of the novel, the people in the forest are saving books by memorizing them, but they, too, are burning the books when they finish memorizing them.  Beatty calls books treacherous weapons, yet he uses his own book learning to manipulate Montag.