The Poppy War

by

R. F. Kuang

Master Irjah is the Strategy master at Sinegard Academy. He’s exacting and has extremely high standards—so Rin comes quickly to crave his praise above that of all her other masters. Irjah takes a liking to Rin and asks her to pledge Strategy after her first year, though she declines. When Nikan and the Federation go to war, Irjah, a former military commander, is put back in control of a military division. He ends up leading the divisions that hold Golyn Niis—and the Federation flays him alive in front of his soldiers as one of the first atrocities they commit in the city.

Master Irjah Quotes in The Poppy War

The The Poppy War quotes below are all either spoken by Master Irjah or refer to Master Irjah. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Dehumanization and the Horrors of War Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

She adored praise—craved it, needed it, and realized she found relief only when she finally had it.

She realized, too, that she felt about praise the way that addicts felt about opium. Each time she received a fresh infusion of flattery, she could think only about how to get more of it. Achievement was a high. Failure was worse than withdrawal. Good test scores brought only momentary relief and temporary pride—she basked in her grace period of several hours before she began to panic about her next test.

She craved praise so deeply that she felt it in her bones. And just like an addict, she did whatever she could to get it.

Related Characters: Rin (Fang Runin), Empress Su Daji (The Vipress), Master Irjah
Related Symbols: Opium
Page Number: 95
Explanation and Analysis:

Irjah looked deeply uncomfortable. “You must understand that this is a very awkward part of Nikan’s history,” he said. “The way that the Speerlies were treated was...regrettable. They were used and exploited by the Empire for centuries. Their warriors were regarded as little more than vicious dogs. Savages. Until Altan came to study at Sinegard, I don’t believe anyone really thought the Speerlies were capable of sophisticated thought. Nikan does not like to speak of Speer, and for good reason.”

Related Characters: Master Irjah (speaker), Rin (Fang Runin), Altan Trengsin
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

“He’s not human,” she said, recalling the horrible anger behind Altan’s power. She’d thought she understood Altan. She’d thought she had reached the man behind the command title. But she realized now that she didn’t know him at all. The Altan she’d known—at least, the Altan in her mind—would have done anything for his troops. He wouldn’t have left someone in the gas to die. “He—I don’t know what he is.”

“But Altan was never allowed to be human,” Chaghan said, and his voice was uncharacteristically gentle. “Since childhood, he’s been regarded as a militia asset. Your masters at the Academy fed him opium for attacking his classmates and trained him like a dog for this war.”

Related Characters: Rin (Fang Runin) (speaker), Chaghan (speaker), Altan Trengsin, Nezha, Master Irjah
Related Symbols: Opium
Page Number: 390
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Poppy War LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Poppy War PDF

Master Irjah Quotes in The Poppy War

The The Poppy War quotes below are all either spoken by Master Irjah or refer to Master Irjah. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Dehumanization and the Horrors of War Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

She adored praise—craved it, needed it, and realized she found relief only when she finally had it.

She realized, too, that she felt about praise the way that addicts felt about opium. Each time she received a fresh infusion of flattery, she could think only about how to get more of it. Achievement was a high. Failure was worse than withdrawal. Good test scores brought only momentary relief and temporary pride—she basked in her grace period of several hours before she began to panic about her next test.

She craved praise so deeply that she felt it in her bones. And just like an addict, she did whatever she could to get it.

Related Characters: Rin (Fang Runin), Empress Su Daji (The Vipress), Master Irjah
Related Symbols: Opium
Page Number: 95
Explanation and Analysis:

Irjah looked deeply uncomfortable. “You must understand that this is a very awkward part of Nikan’s history,” he said. “The way that the Speerlies were treated was...regrettable. They were used and exploited by the Empire for centuries. Their warriors were regarded as little more than vicious dogs. Savages. Until Altan came to study at Sinegard, I don’t believe anyone really thought the Speerlies were capable of sophisticated thought. Nikan does not like to speak of Speer, and for good reason.”

Related Characters: Master Irjah (speaker), Rin (Fang Runin), Altan Trengsin
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

“He’s not human,” she said, recalling the horrible anger behind Altan’s power. She’d thought she understood Altan. She’d thought she had reached the man behind the command title. But she realized now that she didn’t know him at all. The Altan she’d known—at least, the Altan in her mind—would have done anything for his troops. He wouldn’t have left someone in the gas to die. “He—I don’t know what he is.”

“But Altan was never allowed to be human,” Chaghan said, and his voice was uncharacteristically gentle. “Since childhood, he’s been regarded as a militia asset. Your masters at the Academy fed him opium for attacking his classmates and trained him like a dog for this war.”

Related Characters: Rin (Fang Runin) (speaker), Chaghan (speaker), Altan Trengsin, Nezha, Master Irjah
Related Symbols: Opium
Page Number: 390
Explanation and Analysis: