Squealer] called the animals together and told them that he had a terrible piece of news to impart. Comrade Napoleon was dying! . . . . 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. –Animal Farm, George Orwell

Which statement best explains Orwell’s use of irony in this passage?
A.The unexpected action of Napoleon changing his opinion on alcohol is situational irony.
B.Dramatic irony occurs because the reader knows that Napoleon won't die—he drank too much alcohol.
C.Squealer uses verbal irony because he does not mean that Napoleon is really dying.
D.The fact that Napoleon seems to be dying is situational irony because he is a strong leader.

The statement which best explains Orwell's use of irony in the passage is "Dramatic irony occurs because the reader knows that Napoleon won't die..."

What is dramatic irony?

In literature, dramatic irony happens when the characters do not know or do not understand something, but readers do. That is precisely what happens in the passage from "Animal Farm," by George Orwell.

The animals do not know the effect of drinking too much, which is why they think Napoleon is dying. However, the reader knows Napoleon will not die, that he just drank too much. Therefore, this is an example of dramatic irony.

With the information above in mind, we can choose option B as the correct answer.

Learn more about dramatic irony here:

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