Is this line from Animal Farm verbal irony?
YES! Extract from an essay on “Irony In Animal Farm” Animal Farm is a classic portrayal of how power can effect the goals and hopes of a society. In this essay, I will explore the irony of Animal Farm, and how it used to satirize communism and dictatorships. The story begins with a revolution, and high hopes for the society being developed by the animals. But slowly, as the leading officials get a taste of power, things begin to change. The Commandments, a code by which all animals on Animal Farm live by, is secretly altered when the pigs (leading officials) begin to realize how great it is to live as a human being. Once they start drinking, “No animal may drink alcohol” soon becomes “No animal may drink alcohol to excess.” Like the prior reference, once the pigs begin sleeping in beds, “No animal shall sleep in a bed” becomes “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.” These are a crystal clear examples of the novel’s dynamic use of verbal irony. More…
