Question

Read the following passage:

Everyone waited anxiously for the Lottery of Fairness and
Benevolence to start. The stakes were high this year. There
was no chance of anyone forgetting his or her number or
missing the drawing. Numbers were tattooed on our
forearms. Attendance was mandatory. As we peered
around at the armed soldiers who surrounded us, we
wondered who the winner would be. Who would take on
the punishment for all of our crimes? There were hardly
any crimes - nothing to steal, too tired to fight - but still,
the punishments would be harsh. We all hoped it wouldn't
be someone young.
What is one way the author uses irony to convey his message?

Answer 1

the author calls this the lottery of fairness and benevolence but then he describes how everyone is anxious and the atmosphere is tense. lottery's are supposed to be a good thing but here they are punishments for whomever wins them.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

One way the author uses irony to convey his message is By having the "winner" of the Lottery of Fairness and Benevolence punished, he shows that society is dysfunctional.

Step-by-step explanation:

The complete idea of this excerpt about having a lottery with the topic of crime and punishment is a pure irony element, there are so many points of irony such as the name of the lottery "Lottery of Fairness and Benevolence" while perhaps a person who is not guilty will pay for what others have done, making the system completely dysfunctional. Then the fact that it does not matter how old the person to be punished will be, and the necessity of having soldiers around.