Destroy the old well
In the beginning of the film, the main character is presented as being the one to pull the trigger on cannon which had the purpose of destroying the Cathedral of Notre Dame, used in this film as a symbol. The commanders were sure they will hit the target, and thus destroy the imposing cathedral. Ironically, time and time again, they only managed to hit old houses and unimportant buildings, far away from the cathedral.
Trust the one who knows nothing
The Jewish soldier who appears in the beginning of the film is presented as being completely inadequate and incapable of taking orders and behaving like a soldier should. For instance, the soldier is presented as unable to throw a grenade or to even detonate a grenade. Ironically, despite his incompetence, the Private is tasked with defusing a very complex bomb which eventually detonates anyway.
On the other side
Another ironic scene takes place in the beginning of the film when the Private is sent on the battlefield. There, because of the smoke and probably fog, he gets lost from the rest of the soldiers. When the smoke clears, the Private is marching along a large number of soldiers. Ironically, the soldiers are not from his country but rather form the country they were fighting against.
Pushed down the stairs
After Hynkel finished his speech, he was helped into his coat by another person on stage and then proceeds to head towards the stair and leave the stage. While Hynkel is on the top of the stairs, a fat dignitary bows down to salute another man and pushes Hynkel down the stairs in the process. While the scene is not witnessed by many, it is an ironic moment which has the purpose of transmitting the idea that politicians are only as powerful as those under them want them to be.
A pan over the head
When the Private returns, he finds that the world he left changed completely. When he takes his shop back, a few soldiers appear almost immediately to paint the word ‘’Jew’’ on the windows. The Private tries to stand up against them but he quickly realizes that the men painting on his windows will not listen to him. The Private then gets into an argument with them and they start fighting under the window of Hannah who tries to save the Private by hitting the soldiers with a pan over their head. Ironically, the Private is also hit in the process and he almost passes out.
