Question

Which phrase or sentence in this excerpt from Kurt Vonnegut's "Report on the Barnhouse Effect" demonstrates the use of irony?

Answer 1

General Barker bustled about the house like a woman preparing Thanksgiving dinner for twenty.

This is the best example of irony. The excerpt describes General Barker, who occupies a traditionally very masculine profession, preparing for the demonstration of the most destructive weapon in the history of mankind as if he were a woman bustling about the house preparing Thanksgiving dinner. This juxtaposition creates a sense of irony.