The following text is a poem by Marcus Webb.
The General Speaks at the School
I believe in the young. This is not a cliché. I mean it. Here are the people who will carry forward what we have built.
5 I was your age once. I made choices. Some of those choices were difficult but in the end the most important thing is that you make choices. 10 You will understand this later.
The country asks things of you. I will not pretend otherwise. Sacrifice is not a dirty word. Sacrifice is how nations are made. 15 Your grandparents knew this.
Take pride in who you are. Work hard. Be loyal. Individual achievement and collective strength are not in conflict. 20 They never have been.
I believe in the young. You are the future. Don't let us down.
How and to what effect is irony used in this text?
Essay preview
Irony in Webb’s poem is created through the gap between what the General says and what his language actually reveals. On the surface, the dramatic monologue sounds supportive, even inspirational: a public figure addressing schoolchildren with apparent faith in them. However, the poem steadily exposes that this “belief”