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Tone
Definition of Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging outside and someone remarks "what... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. When there's a hurricane raging... read full definition
Verbal irony occurs when the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Family Man:
The following example of satire from Chapter 1 is an excerpt from U Po Kyin's newspaper article. He has one of his lackeys plant this satirical article, with the intention of framing Dr. Veraswami for anti-British sentiment:
Mr Macgregor is of the type of the Fine Old English Gentleman, such as, in these happy days, we have so many examples before our eyes. He is 'a family man' as our dear English cousins say. Very much a family man is Mr Macgregor. So much so that he has already three children in the district of Kyauktada, where he has been a year, and in his last district of Shwemyo he left six young progenies behind him. Perhaps it is an oversight on Mr Macgregor's part that he has left these young infants quite unprovided for, and that some of their mothers are in danger of starvation, etc., etc., etc.
The apprentice who writes this letter employs a satirical tone, referring to Mr. Macgregor ironically as a "family man" who sires and subsequently abandons children. This satirical segment is intended to critique the behaviors of powerful British leaders in Burma, many of whom put on a moral front while committing various harms behind closed doors.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Syphilis:
In an example of satire from Chapter 1, U Po Kyin's apprentice employs a sardonic, critical tone in his newspaper article as a means of critiquing both Mr. Macgregor and the British Empire. Note the use of this satirical tone in the following passage:
In these happy times, when we poor blacks are being uplifted by the mighty western civilization, with its manifold blessings such as the cinematograph, machine-guns, syphilis, etc., what subject could be more inspiring than the private lives of our European benefactors?
In this excerpt, the article-writer refers to "syphilis" as one of the "manifold blessings" brought to Burma/Myanmar by European colonizers. This is undoubtedly an instance of verbal irony: the author upends White colonial paternalism, undermining the idea that Europeans have "blessed" the Burmese with their presence. The opposite was more often true: Europeans brought with them oppression, enslavement, and condescension, seeking to destroy native cultures and replace them with European ones. Many European imperial powers, including the British, saw fit to extract resources and labor from colonized regions, impoverishing native peoples for generations. This article satirizes the concept of the "white man's burden," critiquing the idea that White people bring blessings and resources to the regions they colonize. The actual relationships between colonized and colonizer are extractive.
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—The White Man's Burden:
In the following passage from Chapter 3, Flory alludes to Rudyard Kipling's 1899 poem "The White Man's Burden." He includes this allusion to illustrate his British comrades' flawed, deeply problematic attitudes towards colonized peoples:
"Such a glorious holiday from THEM"—he motioned with one heel in the direction of the Club—"from my beloved fellow Empire-builders. British prestige, the white man's burden, the pukka sahib sans peur et sans reproche—you know. Such a relief to be out of the stink of it for a little while."
One stanza of Kipling's racist, condescending, paternalistic poem reads: "Take up the White Man's burden— / The savage wars of peace— / Fill full the mouth of famine / And bid the sickness cease; / And when your goal is nearest / The end for others sought, / Watch Sloth and heathen Folly / Bring all your hopes to nought." The poem asserts that White Europeans work hard for to benefit and improve non-White people, only to be met with ingratitude, "sloth," and "heathen Folly."
Flory alludes to the "white man's burden" for the purposes of critique, leveling a sardonic tone against his fellow British occupiers, whom he ironically characterizes—in a mixture of Hindi, Persian, British slang, and French—as "true gentlemen without fear and beyond reproach." He derides their blatant hypocrisy and unsubtle racism. Sadly, though, when the time comes, Flory fails to directly contradict the kind of racism he's talking about.
Related Themes:
