What are some examples of verbal irony in chapters 1–3 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are several examples of verbal irony used in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird often attached to Scout.  I'll provide one with which to get you started.

Dr. L. Kip Wheeler provides the following definition:

IRONY: Cicero referred to irony as "saying one thing and meaning another." Irony comes in many forms. Verbal irony (also called sarcasm) is a trope in which a speaker makes a statement in which its actual meaning differs sharply from the meaning that the words ostensibly express. Often this sort of irony is plainly sarcastic in the eyes of the reader, but the characters listening in the story may not realize the speaker's sarcasm as quickly as the readers do.

One example of verbal irony is when Miss Caroline tells Scout that her father does not know how to teach and therefore cannot teach her to read when she already does read, and quite well. When Scout complains to Atticus, he agrees that they will keep reading, but secretly: this is his compromise.

The verbal irony appears when Atticus says:

I have a feeling that if you tell Miss Caroline we read every night she'll get after me, and I wouldn't want her after me.

Atticus is obviously not afraid of Miss Caroline and is intentionally saying something contrary to what he believes, probably to entertain Scout who has been so upset.

What are some examples of verbal irony in chapters 1–3 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

As a literary device, irony is the general name given to such techniques that involve surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions.  With verbal irony, words are used to indicate the opposite of their usual meaning.  Here are some examples of this type of irony (the verbal irony is how Scout expresses her comments on the situations, which may in themselves also be ironic):

Chapter One

1.  Scout as narrator relates that her father went to Montgomery to learn law; later when he was admitted to the bar, he returned to Maycomb and began his practice.  However, during his first five years, Atticus "practiced economy more than anything." [What Scout really means is that Atticus had little business and had to economise because he was poor.]

2. So Jem received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighborhood scold. [In actuality, Jem is misinformed.]

Chapter Two

3. After Scout reads for Miss Caroline, the teacher tells her that her father does not know how to teach.  Scout narrates,

I never deliberately learned to read, but somehow I had been wallowing illicitly in the daily papers.

[Scout does nothing wrong when she reads the papers  She says this to ridicule Miss Caroline's comment about Atticus.]

4.  When she is scolded for writing, rather than printing, Scout remarks, "Calpurnia was to blame for this." [Thanks to Calpurnia who placed the written letters on a tablet before her, Scout has practiced handwriting on rainy days and learned before third grade.]

Chapter Three

5. After her scoldings by Miss Caroline and Calpurnia, Scout thinks of running away if she must refrain from reading and writing.  However, she remarks,

By late afternoon most of my traveling plans were complete. [ She has abandoned thoughts of running off]

For, she and Jem race each other to greet their father who comes from his office.

What are some examples of situational irony in part 1 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

Situational irony occurs when a result or outcome is much different than what was expected. 

In Chapter 6, Scout, Jem, and Dill go to the Radley house at night. When Mr. Radley comes outside and fires his gun, the children run away. Jem's pants get caught on the fence and he has to leave them. He retrieves his pants and in the following chapter he reveals that they had been sewn and left folded across the fence. The children must have thought that if Jem was able to retrieve his pants, he would find them torn and stuck on the fence, but someone had fixed them. This was unexpected.

At the beginning of Chapter 10, Scout discusses how she and Jem think that Atticus is old and feeble: 

Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness. 

Jem always wants Atticus to play tackle football, but Atticus says he is too old for that. Scout and Jem do not view Atticus as a man of action. They don't feel that he is as manly or as active as other fathers of children their age. However, in this chapter there is a rabid dog on the loose. Heck Tate is poised to shoot the dog, but he asks Atticus to take the shot. Atticus reluctantly agrees and takes the shot. Scout and Jem are mesmerized. They would never have expected that Atticus was capable of such a thing. They would never have imagined that, as Miss Maudie says, "Forgot to tell you the other day that besides playing the Jew’s Harp, Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time."

What are some examples of situational irony in part 1 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

Situational irony can be defined as the occurrence of an event when a completely different outcome was expected. An example would be where an individual purchases a firearm to protect himself against crime and is killed with the same weapon when he is attacked.

In chapter one of To Kill a Mockingbird, the best example would be related to Jem, Dill, and Scout's fears regarding the Radley house and its infamous resident, Boo. The three were quite apprehensive about the dangers of going near the house and were paranoid about the idea of entering the premises. All sorts of pernicious rumors existed that Boo Radley was evil and that he would harm those who made contact with him. It was imperative, therefore, that no one should, in any way, seek him out or offend him, for they would become victims of his malevolence.

Dill challenged Jem to enter the Radley place. He eventually relented, as a matter of pride, to accede to his request since he had to prove he was not a coward. The result of his action, though, did not achieve the expected outcome, as the following quote illustrates:

Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful. Dill and I followed on his heels.

Safely on our porch, panting and out of breath, we looked back. The old house was the same, droopy and sick, but as we stared down the street we thought we saw an inside shutter move.

The only response they received was the slight movement of a shutter, not the conflagration they expected.

Flick. A tiny, almost invisible movement, and the house was still.

What are some examples of dramatic irony in part 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Dramatic irony is a type of irony in a story where you know something that the characters do not know.  This generally results from the narrator being a child.

The most obvious example of dramatic irony comes from the fact that the book is being told as a flashback.  The characters do not know what is going to happen as the story is being told, but the older Scout tells us some interesting information in the very beginning of the book.

When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. (ch 1)

This first line of the book tells us that something interesting is going to happen, and there is going to be a problem and Jem is going to be hurt.  So the reader knows this, but the characters do not as they go through their story.

An interesting character introduced in part 1 is Dill.  Dill is described as a curiosity, and his whoppers and evasions tell the reader that there is something about his home life that is unhappy.  When they ask him about his father, he doesn’t answer.

“Then if he’s not dead you’ve got one, haven’t you?” (ch 1)

The reader is aware that Dill probably has a less than optimal home life, and there is something to the story of his father.

Scout’s first day of school is another example of dramatic irony.  The reader learns a great deal about Maycomb County through identifying with Miss Caroline, which Scout cannot do.  The reader understands that she is in over her head and out of place, but Scout doesn’t.  We laugh at mentions of the “Dewy Decimal System” because we know that Jem is a little confused.

Other examples of dramatic irony in part 1 include Scout’s encounters with the Cunninghams and the Ewells, which the astute reader realizes are foreshadowing, as well as the Radley drama.

When Jem returns to the Radley place to find his pants, the reader realizes that he is more worried about Atticus’s opinion of him than fearing being shot, but Scout does not understand his actions.

Another example of dramatic irony is the upcoming information about the trial.  Scout does not understand what Atticus is up against, but the reader does.

What is an example of verbal irony in chapters 7-9 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 8, Jem and Scout make a snowman of dirt and snow on one of the coldest days in Maycomb's history. Jem manages to make the snowman look similar to Mr. Avery. When Atticus arrives home from work, he looks at Jem's snowman and says,

You’ve perpetrated a near libel here in the front yard. We’ve got to disguise this fellow. (Lee, 69)

Atticus's statement is an example of verbal irony because he does not literally think that Jem "perpetrated a near libel." He is simply acknowledging the fact that Jem's monstrosity of a snowman resembles Mr. Avery, which might offend him if he were to see it. Jem then places a sunhat on the snowman's head and drives hedge-clippers into its side to make it resemble Miss Maudie. When Miss Maudie sees the snowman, she tells Jem, "You devil, bring me back my hat, sir!" (Lee, 69). Maudie's response is also an example of verbal irony. She does not literally think that Jem is the devil and is indirectly commenting on his mischievous ways.

In chapter 9, Scout is forced to spend quality family time with her cousin, Francis Hancock. Scout mentions that she cannot stand Francis and thinks that everything he says and does is boring. When Francis tells Scout that he received a pair of knee-pants, a red leather booksack, five shirts, and an untied bow tie, she utilizes verbal irony by saying, "That’s nice" (Lee, 83). Scout does not really think Francis's gifts are nice and is obviously bored with his description, which is what makes her response an example of verbal irony.

What is an example of verbal irony in chapters 7-9 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Verbal irony is when a statement seems to contradict itself, or something said is the opposite of what you’d expect.  It is used often in To Kill a Mockingbird, and adds to the dry humor.

My favorite example is from chapter 7.

The second grade was as bad as the first, only worse—they still flashed cards at you and wouldn’t let you read or write. (chapter 7)

This is from the beginning of the chapter.  It is ironic because second grade is when you are supposed to learn to read and write.  What Scout actually means is that she is far advanced for her age, and her teachers won’t let her read and write at her level because they are still teaching her to read and write.

An example from chapter 8 is when the children first experience snow.  Scout comments that the snow is hot, and Jem responds, “No it ain’t, it’s so cold it burns” (chapter 8).  This is another example of verbal irony, because something cold should not literally burn.

In chapter 9, Atticus tells Louis why he is going to defend Tom Robinson even though he is unlikely to win the trial.

“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said. (chapter 9)

This is ironic because it literally means that even though you lost 100 years ago you should still try to win.

What examples of dramatic irony are in chapters 8-10 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Dramatic irony means that we know something that a character doesn't. As To Kill A Mockingbird is told from the perspective of a child, that gives Harper Lee plenty of scope in this regard, as Scout is inevitably quite naive.

In Chapter 11, we're introduced to the character of Mrs. Dubose. To Scout and Jem, she's just this mean old lady who spews vicious abuse at them whenever they walk past her front porch. One day, Jem gets so mad at Mrs. Dubose that he destroys all her camellia bushes. As punishment, he's told by Atticus to go and read to the old lady every day for a month. As for Scout, she's shocked to discover the truth about Mrs. Dubose: that she's been hooked on morphine for a number of years but she's been trying really hard to beat her addiction. This leads Atticus, much to Scout's astonishment, to describe her as the bravest soul he's ever known.

What examples of dramatic irony are in chapters 8-10 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Dramatic irony occurs when, due to the unfolding action, a reader or audience gains more understanding of a character's situation than the character currently has. Harper Lee especially creates dramatic irony in Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird through Scout's and Jem's limited understanding of what Arthur (Boo) Radley giving Scout the blanket signifies.

After the fire is put in out in Chapter 8, Jem is the first to realize that the mysterious woolen blanket Scout is wearing wrapped around her shoulders must have been given to her by Arthur Radley. However, despite his realization, Jem is still unable to see Arthur as the caring, albeit reclusive, man the reader is beginning to see him as. Jem does not yet see him as caring; however, he is beginning to see him as harmless but still insane, as we see in Jem's ramblings about Arthur to Atticus:

'... Mr. Nathan put cement in that tree, Atticus, an' he did it to stop us findin' things—he's crazy, I reckon, like they say, but Atticus, I swear to God he ain't ever harmed us, he ain't ever hurt us.' (Ch. 8)

In contrast, the reader has reasons to doubt Arthur's insanity due to the kind things the reliable character Miss Maudie has to say about him earlier in Chapter 5. Therefore, in contrast to Jem, the reader is beginning to see Arthur not as someone who simply won't harm the children, as Jem sees, but as one who genuinely cares for the children and wants to express his sentiment in any quiet way he can.

In contrast to Jem, Scout, being the youngest, is very slow to understand who gave her the blanket. Plus, she understands even less about what the the gift of the blanket signifies than Jem does; in contrast to Jem, Scout still sees Arthur as someone to be terrified of. Scout's unawareness is revealed when, after her father says, "Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up," Scout blankly replies, "Thank who?" (Ch. 8). Furthermore, her continued terror of Arthur is revealed when, after Jem explains Boo Radley put the blanket around her, she describes that her "stomach turned to water and [she] nearly threw up when Jem held out the blanket and crept toward [her]." However, unlike Scout, the reader, at this point in the story, knows that the children have no reason to fear Arthur Radley.

Since the reader understands far more about Arthur Radley by Chapter 8 than either Jem or Scout, we know that author Lee uses the incident concerning the blanket to build dramatic irony.

What are three examples of irony in chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

An example of dramatic irony occurs in a conversation between Scout and Calpurnia after church. In the chapter, Scout seems to be oblivious to the percolating tension that surrounds the Tom Robinson case. While she knows that Tom Robinson is in jail because "he's done somethin' awful," she has no idea what "awful" entails and how the white community really feels towards the Robinson family at present.

Because of her innocence, Scout doesn't understand why no one seems to want to hire Helen, Tom's wife, for any work. She reasons that, if the Ewells are Tom's accusers, Helen should have no problems finding work. After all, "everybody in Maycomb knows what kind of folks the Ewells are." At this point in the story, Scout has no idea that, before the trial is over, her faith in humanity and in the goodness of her fellow citizens will be severely tested.

Another example of irony from the chapter involves what the First Purchase Church is used for. The church was purchased with the initial earnings of freed slaves and is used by Maycomb's African-American community for Sunday worship. However, during the week, white men use the church as a gambling venue. This is a stunning irony, as gambling represents the sort of activity ministers like Reverend Sykes routinely preach against.

His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him: he warned his flock against the evils of heady brews, gambling, and strange women.

Yet another example of irony is how Calpurnia speaks in different settings. When Calpurnia is at the Finch home or among white members of Maycomb's community, she speaks the way they do. However, when she is in church, Calpurnia uses the familiar African-American vernacular English that First Purchase members do. This fascinates Scout:

That Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me. The idea that she had a separate existence outside our household was a novel one, to say nothing of her having command of two languages.

Here, the irony lies in the fact that Calpurnia, a well-educated African-American woman, must bow to the pressures of society in different settings. Essentially, she must speak differently at church in order to fit in. However, Calpurnia's discretion and humility are evident when she explains her actions:

 “Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks’ talk at home it’d be out of place, wouldn’t it? Now what if I talked white-folks’ talk at church, and with my neighbors? They’d think I was puttin‘ on airs to beat Moses.”

“It’s not necessary to tell all you know. It’s not ladylike—in the second place, folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin‘ more than they do. It aggravates ’em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin‘ right, they’ve got to want to learn themselves, and when they don’t want to learn there’s nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language.”

So, although it's ironic that Calpurnia has to hide her true self in some settings, we know that she does so only out of consideration for others.

What are three examples of irony in chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

EXAMPLES OF IRONY: Chapter 12, To Kill a Mockingbird

The Tapeworm.  Scout questions Atticus if Jem may have a tapeworm, an organism known for growing quickly and to incredible size. Atticus responds that it is Jem who "was growing."
First Purchase Church.  The church, possibly the only in Maycomb specifically for African-Americans, was purchased by the first group of freed black men in Maycomb, probably soon after the end of the Civil War. It is nevertheless used by white men to gamble in on weekdays. Additionally, Reverend Sykes warns his congregation about gambling during the service.
Happy Cemetery.  Scout describes the adjoining graveyard as a "happy cemetery," because of all the colorful broken glass and Coke bottles that are strewn about the place. What Scout doesn't realize is that the glass is probably deliberately broken by the white gamblers who use the church on weekdays.
 

What are examples of situational and dramatic irony in Chapters 15-17 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Situational irony is what most people think irony is in general. It is the incongruity with what is expected to happen and what actually does happen. This kind of irony is generally described as "the opposite of what you expect to happen does happen." It does not necessarily have to be the opposite. The result simply has to be unexpected. 

In Chapter 15, a group of men challenge Atticus at the jail in Maycomb. They have come to get Tom Robinson and Atticus is there to talk them out of it. With the tension rising, Scout rushes over to the men and begins talking with Walter Cunningham Sr., a member of this mob. No one could have expected that Scout's awkward conversation (monologue, really) with Walter Sr. would convince him to make the mob clear out. But this is what happens. After a final awkward pause, Walter amiably responds to Scout's request to say hello to Walter Jr. for her: 

“I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,” he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. “Let’s clear out,” he called. “Let’s get going, boys.” 

Dramatic irony occurs when the spectator (or reader) knows something that a character does not. Thus, the reader is a step ahead of the character. This is quite clear in Chapter 17 when the reader (via Atticus's questioning) is given clues that Atticus is suggesting that Bob Ewell is more likely to have hit Mayella than Tom. Atticus gets Bob to agree with Tate's assessment of Mayella's injuries. Then he shows that Bob is left-handed and thus quite likely that Bob could have been Mayella's attacker. We, readers, have this information before Bob is aware of it. Scout considers this at the end of the chapter: 

Atticus was trying to show, it seemed to me, that Mr. Ewell could have beaten up Mayella. That much I could follow. If her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it. 

In a later chapter, Atticus will reveal that Tom's left hand is essentially useless, placing even more suspicion on Bob Ewell. 

What is an example of verbal irony in chapter 31 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

You could say that when Scout says, "Autumn and Boo's children needed him" is an example of verbal irony. Technically, verbal irony is used when a character knowingly says one thing but means another. Situational irony would be if the character says one thing and unknowingly means another. In this case of situational irony, the audience, or reader, usually knows the character's mistake. But with verbal irony, the character or narrator knows the irony of what he/she is saying. When Scout refers to herself, Jem and Dill as Boo's children, she does so with the knowledge that they previously viewed him as a recluse, even as a monster. It is ironic that, in her eyes, he was once a monster and now, at the novel's end, she sees him more like a guardian angel. 

There is also a subtle intertextual reference at the end of the chapter that is an example of verbal irony. Scout asks Atticus to read aloud The Gray Ghost. In this book, there is a character like Boo who is blamed for something that he did not do. Atticus protests but then relents when Scout tells him she isn't scared. In fact, she says, "Besides, nothin's real scary except in books." In Scout's recounting, the character in The Gray Ghost, Stoner's Boy, was accused of some things and was then found to be innocent or "real nice" as Scout put it. The same was true of Boo Radley. This may be more situational irony because Scout is half asleep when she says this and probably doesn't consciously make the connection to Boo. However, since To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by Scout as an adult looking back on her childhood, I think this is an example of verbal irony because the narrator knowingly included this comparison of Boo and his textual alter-ego in The Gray Ghost.  

Scout is no longer scared of Boo. This is because he saved them from Mr. Ewell but it is also indicative of Scout's maturity. It is ironic that she says there's nothing scary except in books because it was essentially gossip in the form of stories (not actual experiences) of Boo which scared her in the first place. She and the other kids were scared by the stories they'd heard about Boo. But once she met him, he turned out to be "real nice," and a kind of guardian. 

What examples of dramatic irony are in To Kill A Mockingbird, and their effects?

The Finch children's innocence of the ways of the world allows for a good deal of dramatic irony. There are lots of things that we know that they do not.

One such thing would be the fate of Tom Robinson. We know that Tom, as an African-American man charged with the rape of a white woman, has absolutely no chance whatsoever of being acquitted. In this part of the world a mere accusation in such cases is tantamount to a conviction. Yet Scout and Jem—and indeed Dill, for that matter—believe that justice will somehow prevail and that Tom will be a free man. This explains why children are all so incredibly upset by Tom's conviction.

In the aftermath of this blatant miscarriage of justice, Jem says he always believed that Maycomb folk were the best people in the world. But us readers knew long before he did that that really wasn't the case. Long before the trial of Tom Robinson, we knew all about the rampant racial prejudice that most people in this small Southern town displayed with such abandon. In this case, dramatic irony serves as a necessary prelude to the Finch children's maturation in this classic coming-of-age story.

What examples of dramatic irony are in To Kill A Mockingbird, and their effects?

Dramatic irony, of course, is when the reader knows something that the character does not know.  There are numerous examples of dramatic irony in To Kill a Mockingbird, but let me get you started with a few arranged in order of importance. 

First, and probably the least significant but an example of dramatic irony just the same, is when Uncle Jack tells Scout a funny story as she fusses and frets about a big splinter under her skin.  The readers know that Uncle Jack is trying to take her mind off of the pain, so that the splinter can be removed.  However, that fact surprises Scout.  The effect of this particular instance of dramatic irony is humor. 

Second, there is the tense scene during which Scout asks about rape.  The readers of the book all know exactly what rape is.  Scout, being the innocent in To Kill a Mockinbird, does not.  Therefore, this time Lee's use of dramatic irony creates a bit of suspense.

Third, there is the amazing scene where Atticus saves the town by shooting a rabid dog with one quick shot to the head.  By the middle of the incident, as Heck Tate talks with Atticus, the audience knows that it is Atticus who is the best shot in town, but it isn't until the shot is fired that both Scout and Jem understand this.  Not only does this create suspense, but also adds a lot to Atticus' characterization (proving that he is a brave enough man to keep a murderous skill like marksmanship to himself).

Finally, there is the scene when Scout shows up at the jail, showing great loyalty to Atticus.  When Scout arrives, she immediately sees Mr. Cunningham and asks how his "entailment" is coming along.  Mr. Cunningham, who has come to the jail to do possible injury to Atticus, is thrown off-guard by Scout's innocent and caring question.  We understand this, but Scout does not.  Scout, through dramatic irony, deflects the angry mob at the jail.  The effect here is all suspense related.

Lee, then, is a master of dramatic irony, as it permiates the book and creates numerous effects with a single literary device.