A. FIRST FIREMAN: We’re the firemen, Mr. Barclay. (They remove their hats.)

B. BOB (eagerly): Do you like it? (Remembers his plight.) Suppose I go to another hotel and there’s a fire there, too!

C. BELLBOY: I’ve got a message from the clerk, sir. For Mr. Barclay personally

D. BOB: Yes, that is pretty bad. H’m. (To Ed). I say, you really ought to see this—

E. BOB: (crosses to boy) I’m Mr. Barclay. What is the message?

EXPERT ANSWER

The line from the Still Alarm by George S. Kaufman that has parody is the first fireman: We’re the firemen, Mr. Barclay. (They remove their hats). In literary devices, a parody emulates to depict a specific individual or other targets ending up with a comic effect in exaggeration.

The line “First Fireman: We are the firemen Mr. Barclay (They remove their hats).” contains a parody of the British Society. The line contains parody because it shows the character’s proper, calm manner when they come to put off the nearby fire and formally introduce themselves by removing hats. The line illustrates the parody of the excessive formality of British society.