Situational Irony
Irony is presented throughout Maus I and should be discussed in your classroom when teaching this text. The students should also be asked about situation irony. This is rampant through the text as Anja survives the Holocaust, only to commit suicide in the end. Also, Vladek's character acts superior to his family after his time with the German's in the concentration camp. The students should discuss how irony is used to develop the story and the characters within it.
Situational irony can be presented through a children's story of a dog whose disgusting habit actually saves everyone in the end. The book, Walter, the Farting Dog, by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray, and illustrated by Audrey Colman would be a choice you may choose to read to your students. This is a funny children's tale about a dog's disgusting habit. He is almost sent away because of the habit, but in the end saves the family from being robbed. The students would find this book humorous, while also learning a valuable literary lesson.