Previous
Imagery
Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Key Examples in The Jungle Book
3. Kaa’s Hunting
Explanation and Analysis—Still and Cool!:
When he gets back from his time with the apes, Baloo’s reaction to Mowgli’s protestations is rich with verbal irony and hyperbole. In this passage, Baloo demonstrates his disdain toward the idea of monkeys showing genuine pity or kindness:
‘When Baloo hurt my head,’ said Mowgli (he was still on his back), ‘I went away, and the grey apes came down from the trees and had pity on me. No one else cared.’
He snuffled a little.
‘The pity of the Monkey-People!’ Baloo snorted. ‘The stillness of the mountain stream! The cool of the summer sun! [...]'
Related Themes:
13. Her Majesty’s Servants
Explanation and Analysis—Our Own Wills:
Kipling uses a metaphor and intense situational irony to depict the highly regulated mechanisms of colonial rule in “Her Majesty’s Servants.” The Afghan Chief and the Viceroy’s Officer have the following conversation after the Animal Parade has gone by:
Unlock with LitCharts A+'But are the beasts as wise as the men?' said the chief.
‘They obey, as the men do. Mule, horse, elephant, or bullock, he obeys his driver, and the driver his sergeant, and the sergeant his lieutenant, and the lieutenant his captain, and the captain his major, and the major his colonel, and the colonel his brigadier commanding three regiments, and the brigadier his general, who obeys the Viceroy, who is the servant of the Empress. Thus it is done.’
‘Would it were so in Afghanistan!’ said the chief; ‘for there we obey only our own wills.’
Related Themes:
