Evaluate the importance of irony in the overall impact of Animal Farm. How does Orwell use irony to enhance the novel’s emotional and intellectual effect on the reader?

Animal Farm is an allegorical text written to ultimately explain the Russian Revolution from George Orwell’s perspective, he constantly uses at least one form of irony to satirise this historical milestone. Irony is one of the most common literary devices Orwell utilises entirely throughout his novel, Animal Farm. A variety of ironic techniques including the use of verbal, situation, and dramatic irony have been intervened through the text.

When something happens that is unexpected it is considered ironic. Orwell has used the three types of irony regularly, making them have continual occurrences in the novel.

• Situational irony is when an event that occurs is unexpected.

Situational Irony involves a discrepancy to what is expected to happen and what actually happens. For situation irony to take place there has to be something that leads the reader to think that a particular event or situation is unlikely to happen.

• Dramatic irony is when the reader knows more about something than the characters.

There are three stages of dramatic irony –

Installation – audience is informed of something the character does not know about. Exploitation – using this information to develop curiosity among the audience. Resolution – what happens when the character finally finds out what is going on?

This form of irony causes the reader to wait anxiously for the reaction of the character who is soon to find out what the audience is already aware of.

• Verbal irony is when a phrases contradicts itself, it can also be when the truth of an idea seems to be the opposite of what is said (similarly like sarcasm).

There are two types of verbal irony –

Overstatement – when a person exaggerates the character of something. Understatement – when a person undermines the character of something.

The main trait that sets verbal irony apart from dramatic and situation irony is that it is used intentionally by a speaker to cause the person they are talking to to think the exact opposite of what they literally imply.

This language technique has a substantial amount of significance in Animal Farm as it engages the reader intellectually, rather than giving them a lecture. These language devices are the tools which Orwell uses to enhance the emotional and intellectual effects the novel has on the reader. Ironic criticism (or elements of sarcasm) spark negative emotions felt by the recipient; including, anger, irritation, disgust, criticism and condemnation. It enables the reader to not only respond to the information being conveyed in the text but to gather an understanding of the attitudes Orwell has against the Russian Revolution. George Orwell upheld a hostile attitude towards the figures involved and the events that took place during the revolution, making this literary device especially appropriate for him as an individual. Irony allows Orwell to express his opinions against these things in a way that is subtle, however, still confrontational.

There are many examples of irony shown throughout the novel such as “Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked ‘Horse Slaughterer’… It was almost unbelievable said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid”. It is scenarios like these where the animals are actually thinking for themselves, by noticing what was written on the side of the van that they are almost instantaneously knocked down by the convincing words of a more powerful figure than they. Squealer is making the working class animals second-guess themselves by telling them they are stupid to even consider this kind of termination of a fellow comrade. Orwell has tied in dramatic irony in this part of the novel as the reader knows more about the current situation than the characters involved. The reader has the ability to come to some conclusion with the idea that Squealer is manipulating the animals by questioning and confronting them about something that they were initially correct about. A second instance of irony being used in the novel is when Squealer exploits the animals yet another time when he says, “I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napolean has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine that leadership is a pleasure”. In this case verbal irony has been applied to this statement as Squealer means the exact opposite to what he means. In other words Napolean would be ecstatic to be in a leadership position all on his own, as this allows him to take charge. He wouldn’t have inceptively overthrown Snowball if leadership was not his futuristic desire. Situation irony occurs in Animal Farm when Napolean gets drunk, “By the evening, however, Napoleon appeared to be somewhat better, and the following morning Squealer was able to tell them that he was well on the way to recovery. By the evening of that day Napoleon was back at work, and on the next day it was learned that he had instructed Whymper to purchase in Willingdon some booklets on brewing and distilling.” This is a discrepancy between what the reader/s originally believed was going to happen, that being, after overthrowing the human government on the farm the animals could live harmoniously. However, it is at this point in the novel where the audience realises things are not going as peaceful as thought in the beginning. This is because the catalyst for the Revolution was Jones being a drunkard and neglecting the farm, Napolean following directly in his path.

By predominantly using irony Orwell has permitted the reader to experience somewhat the perceptions he holds with regards to the Russian Revolution, unanimously commenting on the figures and events in a negative shade of light. It is this literary device and its presence within Animal Farm that enhances both the reader’s emotional and intellectual response in relations to the novel, by stimulating a range of effects.