This rigorous assignment for the Canterbury Tales Prologue guides students to analyze how different types of irony contribute to the text's humor and help us form judgments about the pilgrims. Interpreting the subtle irony in Canterbury Tales is difficult for most students and leads to a lot of misconceptions about the pilgrims, but this resource gives students practice that will help them understand and enjoy the text. It's just the kind of reading comprehension work high school students need! Resource overview: Students begin the assignment by reading definitions of situational irony and multiple types of verbal irony (including sarcasm, overstatement, and understatement). Then, they examine 29 short excerpts from the Prologue that contain 1-2 forms of irony, label it with the correct type of irony, and explain how the excerpt aligns with that type of irony. The assignment concludes with a wrap-up question about how Chaucer used irony to develop satire about problems in society. A detailed teacher's guide is included! There's plenty of material here, so you could break this assignment up over 2–3 class periods, jigsaw the items amongst groups, complete select items from the bunch, or complete some in class and some for homework. It's flexible and great prep for any assessment on the Prologue! Other resources that you may find helpful: "The Demon Lover" Resources The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Analysis Worksheets Hamlet Activity: "To be or not to be" Modern Language Matching & Analysis Related blog posts: Common approaches to the Canterbury Tales Prologue and how to improve upon them Try a humor unit (especially at the end of the school year!) Keep in touch with BritLitWit! Blog Instagram Pinterest Facebook