Choose the selection below that best describes the tone of Elie’s statement: “The SS offered us a beautiful present for the new year.”
a
Depressed
b
Ironic
c
Surprised
d
Grateful
b. Ironic
The tone of Elie's statement can be categorized as b) ironic.
To determine the tone of Elie's statement, it is important to analyze the context and understand the underlying emotions being conveyed. In this case, Elie's statement is: "The SS offered us a beautiful present for the new year."
The statement suggests that Elie is referring to the SS (Schutzstaffel, the paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party) offering them a present. Given the historical context of the Holocaust and the SS's brutal treatment of prisoners in concentration camps, it is highly unlikely that Elie would genuinely be expressing gratitude or joy.
Based on this understanding, the most appropriate tone to describe Elie's statement is ironic. The use of the word "beautiful" to describe a present given by the SS in the highly oppressive and dehumanizing environment of a concentration camp implies a sense of bitter sarcasm or irony.