The Role Of Irony In George Orwell's Animal Farm

In a child-like setting in an almost fantastical realm where animals can talk, read, and even govern themselves, Animal Farm possesses a light-hearted beginning where a simple, countryside farm delves deeper into the consequences a dictatorial sovereign. After World War II, many countries began to notice the ideals of communism and its potential benefits nurtured from the Russian Revolution, without acknowledging the negative ramifications involved. George Orwell mirrors the Russian Revolution through situational irony, where the outcome is unexpected verbal irony, when the words contradict the intended meaning, and dramatic irony, where concepts are unclear to the characters although the reader understands. Orwell’s allegorical fable, Animal Farm, effectively informs the reader of significant incidents which portray Stalin’s degradation in the Russian Revolution through the implementation of three distinct types of irony to convey his personal opinions on each matter. Situational irony highlights the cyclical exploitation of power that contradict the development of Animal Farm and illustrates Orwell’s interpretation of how the Russian Revolution ended and the aftermath. For example, after Snowball’s apparent victory as a faction and the supposed peace to have followed, Napoleon “...uttered a high-pitched whimper...at this there was a terrible baying sound outside, nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn” (Orwell 53). The sudden intrusion of the black dogs interrupted the flow of the story and the predicted outcome of Snowball’s win. Such a blatant
Through the actions of the pigs, Orwell informs readers of his views in regard to communism, warning readers and western countries of the potential dangers