A good question. The primary irony used in "Shooting an Elephant" is situational, though this is supported by tone. The narrator sounds calm and almost detached throughout the piece, even when he's discussing very upsetting events. The essay opens with a discussion of him being hated, yet he seems quite a civilized person, and one of the least likely people to be hated. He wants to help people, but must do so by killing. The essay ends with him saying he was glad the coolie had been killed, because it gave him a legal reason to kill the elephant: he has to be glad someone has been killed, so he can protect people. That's ironic.
No comments:
Post a Comment