Intentionally understating the obvious is a method for getting humor across in writing. For example, the line "You're gonna need a bigger boat" from Jaws is an obvious understatement that adds a humorous effect to an otherwise dramatic event. Meiosis is not only used for creating humor, but also for dramatic effect and describing the tone of a character.
Going in the opposite direction of meiosis, the writer produces hyperbole -- a dramatic exaggeration of the character or narrator's point. When used correctly, hyperbole can be the writer's best friend for creating humor. For example, "Ladies and gentlemen, I've been to Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and I can say without hyperbole that this is a million times worse than all of them put together."
Writers use comic irony when they make their characters state one thing while meaning another. Screen writers often employ this technique when writing sitcoms for broadcast television, such as "How I Met Your Mother." Comic irony can be seen in the statement , "If a person offends you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick."
Satire is a commonly used form of the writer to humorously show the absurdity in modern day society or politics. The famous satirist Jonathan Swift proposed a solution to starvation and overpopulation in his "A Modest Proposal" by stating: "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled."