Using Irony in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

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Irony as a literary technique is one of the most effective and common weapons in the hands of a writer. It is used to display a contrast between what the expectations of a situation are and what is really the case using a third element that defines what is really the case is ironic because of the situation that led to it. Irony, whether it be verbal, dramatic, or situational, are used to place emphasis on the truth thus allowing the author to illustrate a moral or lesson and heighten its effect. This is seen in both the novels Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and 1984 by George Orwell. In the Heart of Darkness, the greatest irony is the transformation which occurs in Kurtz during his stay at the interior station of the Company of which he is an agent. During his prime years, Kurtz was a kind of intellectual. He even had once written a pamphlet stating his opinions about the role of the white man in the backward countries explored by him. According to him, the whites could discuss great benefits upon the backward people of the countries which they visited, conquered, and governed. The whites could suppress the savage customs of those backward people and civilize them. Even though Kurtz held progressive views about the role of white men in the unexplored parts of Africa, he had written at the end of the pamphlet: “Exterminate all the brutes.” Instead of civilizing the savages, he himself becomes a savage. Kurtz, however, still preserves himself as a civilized man. Whenever he is at his headquarters, he acts civilized, but when he goes into the interior of the dark country, he recognizes himself as a savage. Conrad relies on the use of character development in order to support the irony which helps to highlight the madness which ... ... middle of paper ... ...ngs they wish to remember, but it is actually an incinerator. The Ministry of Love where Winston is sent to is actually a place where he is tortured. The Ministry of Truth is where Winston works to make up lies in the history books. The Ministry of Peace is actually violent. Another irony is the leader of the Party, “Big Brother,” who is not a traditional concept of an older sibling, but rather a figure who watches every move and controls with fear. Overall, the use of irony in the Heart of Darkness and 1984 help to place an emphasis on the truth allowing the authors to successfully convey their lesson and moral. The nature of irony is unique in that if there are any flaws that exist, they become much more accurately and directly portrayed. This allows the author to primarily use the surrounding features of the protagonist’s universe to show the moral or lesson.

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