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Relationship Tension Between Westerners and The Burmese
Over time, Westerners came in contact with the natives. In the book Burmese Days by George Orwell, the author tells the story of the Western dominance in Burma. During the early 20th Century, the British Westerners gained control of Burman civilizations. A group of about ten British individuals maintain control of over 2,000 natives. Each character has different reasons and methods for wanting control. The locals accepted European dominance because the Europeans had strategies to legitimize their dominance. The local Burmese people viewed the Europeans in different ways. Elizabeth, Mr. and Mrs. Lakersteen, Dr. Veraswami, U Po Kyin, and Ma Hla May all have specialized reasons for maintaining
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Veraswami views the Europeans as god-like symbols. When Mr. Flory proposes that he nominate Dr. Veraswami to join the Club, he is overcome with emotion. He is truly thankful the Mr. Flory would risk his reputation to help him. Dr. Veraswami almost insists that Mr. Flory does not mention his name in fear that his European friends will despise him. When Mr. Flory mentions that he knows U Po Kyin, a native Sub-divisional Magistrate, Dr. Veraswami exclaims, “it cannot be that you know him. Only an Oriental could know him. You, and English gentlemen man, cannot sink your mind to the depth of such ass U Po Kyin” (Orwell, 1934, p 45). During this time period, Europeans even acknowledging natives was frowned upon. The doctor makes it clear that he does not enjoy the company of the Burmese people. Dr. Veraswami spoke with a strong accent and was known to exaggerate the letter “S” in his speech. While at his place of work, Dr. Veraswami …show more content…
He spent the majority of his earlier years working to improve his social status. U Po Kyin was notorious for going to extreme lengths to achieve his goals. He even mentions being a member of the European Club as the “greatest achievement of his life” (Orwell, 1934. p 142). To U Po Kyin, being in the Club meant that it was possible for an official from the lower ranks to earn a positions with the Europeans. The native view the European Club as a “remote, mysterious temple that holy of holies far harder entry than Nirvana!” (Orwell, 1934, p 143). Being a member of the club meant that their life had been successful. Members have such seniority that it would be improper to question their authority. U Po Kyin used threats and fear to rise in political ranks. He always involved in an illegal scheme. U Po Kyin collected taxes under the table and demanded a cut of all of the robberies. If his standards were not met, gangs attacked the villages and leading villagers were arrested on false charges. It didn’t take long for the locals to learn from the examples set by U Po Kyin (Orwell, 1934, p.7). Due to the harsh consequences U Po Kyin enforced, the locals lived in fear. A life-long goal of the locals was to befriend or have relations with a
The study of social stratification is the study of class, caste, privilege, and status that is characteristic of a particular society. It varies according to how society is organized especially in terms of production and work. This idea is a sociological issue that seems to prevail throughout Blair's encounters. There are many different group and individual statuses that made up the village of Moulmein, Burma. The English were ultimately the superior group because they governed Burma and because they were white. Each person among the English did have his or her own individual status as well. Blair for example had high status in the community because of his job. After the English came the Burmese villagers. Some of these people were more importa...
Without the guidance of Miss Bibi Chen, the group makes ignorant decisions that lead to them missing out on experiences that would have been truly memorable. What made the group choose to change the itinerary? No one was as knowledgeable about Burma as their friend Bibi Chen. I would have to assume that what they think they know about the country lead them to make changes. Their arrogant dispositions lead them to make some poor decisions, decisions in which lead me to cover my head in embarrassment. (294 words)
Through this we see that the author’s point of view is someone who understands that the events that took place that morning in Burma, were not humane and degrading.
Okonkwo is “a man of action, a man of war” (7) and a member of high status in the Igbo village. He holds the prominent position of village clansman due to the fact that he had “shown incredible prowess in two intertribal wars” (5). Okonkwo’s hard work had made him a “wealthy farmer” (5) and a recognized individual amongst the nine villages of Umuofia and beyond. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw isn’t that he was afraid of work, but rather his fear of weakness and failure which stems from his father’s, Unoka, unproductive life and disgraceful death. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness….It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.” Okonkwo’s father was a lazy, carefree man whom had a reputation of being “poor and his wife and children had just barely enough to eat... they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back.” (5) Unoka had never taught Okonkwo what was right and wrong, and as a result Okonkwo had to interpret how to be a “good man”. Okonkwo’s self-interpretation leads him to conclude that a “good man” was someone who was the exact opposite of his father and therefore anything that his father did was weak and unnecessary.
Orwell could not grow a liking for the oppressive British colonial rule in Burma, and felt ashamed of being a part of it. He was disturbed by the conflict of loyalties going on in his heart because of the fact that he was at once opposed to the dirty work of Imperialistic feelings, but could not express them properly. He loathed the tyrannous and oppressive rule of a handful of British on a large number of Burmese people. He belonged to the class of oppressors but had sympathy with the uneasiness of conscience made it difficult for him to continue in the service of Imperial Police. The native people's hatred for the British and the strong anti-English feeling and atmosphere in Burma created more difficulties for him. Ultimately, Orwell gave up his job in Burma, and left for England in August, 1927. In the `Autobiographical Note', he explains the reasons for having to leave this job thus: "I gave it up partly because the climate had ruined my health, partly because I already had vague ideas of writing b...
During Orwell's time in India he is exposed to several unethical situations. As an imperial officer, Orwell is often harassed, "I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe"(Orwell 521). Therefore, Orwell's initial feelings are fear and rage toward the Burmese. He displays his hate in wanting " to drive a bayonet into the Buddhist priest's guts"(522). However, thou...
From an early age, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, Unoka, who was unable even to feed his family. The unpredictability of receiving enough food at a young age was enough to inspire fear and embarrassment in Okonkwo who associated this embarrassment with his father and was given further justification for these feelings when he went out into Umuofia, discovering that the other villagers held similar opinions of Unoka. When he was old enough, Okonkwo began farming his own yams because “he had to support his mother and two sisters […] And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father” (25). Okonkwo’s self-reliance was admired, valued in the community where “age was respected […] but achievement was revered” (12); this admiration gave him feelings of security, and the respect of his peers pushed him towards greater self-respect, distancing him from his father. The security and respect became related in his mind as he viewed his acceptance in the community as his life’s goal and Okonk...
Orwell was born to an English family in Motihari, India in 1903. After going to boarding school, preparatory school, and then, finally secondary school at the prestigious Eton, he decided to join the Indian Imperial Police. He received his training in Burma in 1922, but once he arrived and settled in he came to a startling awakening. The Burmese were treated, by the British, as objects instead of people; something which Orwell had only read about in fictional works, but had yet to come across in reality. The Burmese were being beaten, ridiculed, and humiliated by the Imperial Police. This impacted Orwell tremendously by showing him exactly how the English had been treating their colonies and the ruthlessness of imperialism, but it was not until 1927, while home on leave, that he finally decided to put forth his resignation. In his book, titled The Road to Wigan Pier, Orwell states that after his service in Burma he felt “an immense weight of guilt that” he “had got to expiate” (246). It was after those formative years, in the Imperial Police, that he began forming a more formal opinion of socialism and totalitarianism, as well as giving him a basis for the oppression that is incurred in 198...
Orwell is able to effectively express his argument of the subliminal, but drastic impact that imperialism can have on a suppressed nation. Orwell achieves this by giving his readers many examples of the inhumane treatment he endured while in India. As an Imperial officer working for the British Imperial Empire, Orwell is deeply resented by all of the Burmese people in Lower Burma that are under his rule and protection. However, George states in his essay that instead of protecting the people of Burma he spent a vast majority of his time struggling not to be ridiculed or abused by the locals. George Orwell openly expresses his own frustration to his situation in his memoir; his obvious dislike "for the empire [he] served" (Orwell 282) and its imperialism oppression and his blatant "rage against evil-spirited little beasts" (282) who reciprocated his hatred because of his employment as a British officer in their home. However, it is because of Orwell's inability to choose between his British identity an...
The character, himself, is part of the British rule and is supposed to have all of the power. The Burmese, though, dangle the power in front of him. He is weak and unsure of himself, stating that he “wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it” (60). The character is not able to stand up for what he believes in -- that is, not shooting the elephant. There is a back and forth struggle in his mind about whether or not the elephant needs to be killed. Orwell’s character is fully aware that it is wrong and immoral to shoot an innocent creature, but eventually secedes to the demands of the Burmese, attempting to prove his cooperation and loyalty to those watching. In a way, the Burmese represent the pressures of society. Because of this, the audience can sympathize with the main character. There are always times when we, the readers, are unsure of ourselves, but we eventually make a decision. Whether we make the decision for ourselves or are assisted by others, in the end, we must take responsibility for our own actions. In a broader sense, Orwell’s character represents the internal conflict that everyone faces: should we conform to society or should we be our own
The state of power established through the imperialistic backdrop show that Orwell should have control over the Burmese. Orwell is a British colonial officer in Burma, which is under the control of the British, and because of this he should have authority and control over the Burmans. The presence of the empire is established when Orwell explains that, “with one part of my mind I thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny...upon the will of the prostrate people; with another part I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s gut.” (144) This ideal imperialistic circumstance, where ...
The tough life of Iqbal in the book Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo and Nick Freestone in the book Elephant Run by Ronald smith are the main stories of the books and have difficult lives that are also different and similar. In the book Elephant run they are in the small country of Burma in the early 1930-40s in a somewhat dense forest. Along with that they have to learn their way around. The character Nick is at the plantation getting to know it as home. As everything is coming along the chinese invade Burma and capture them and now they
Pugh, C.L. (2013) 'Is Citizenship the Answer? Constructions of belonging and exclusion for the stateless Rohingya of Burma.', p. 3.
It is the goal of the author in this book to convey the cultural and historical importance of captivity overseas. Even more so than that, I believe the author goes even further by claiming that; regardless of the various forms and locations around the world that captivity took place it still hold a special place in the history of the British Empire between 1600 and 1850. In order to truly understand the impact the British Empire had on the world and vice versa. One must explore the cultural interactions between the British colonists with the foreign lands they were forcing themselves upon. As the author puts very simply, the cultural interaction of taking captives in this era was not a linear process. Those Britons who came to the colonies slaving out other cultures for their benefit one day, may find themselves calling another culture master the next. This history of the British Empire is a history of social futility. Because, despite its small size this collection of English, Welsh, Scottish, and
"Shooting an Elephant" is perhaps one of the most anthologized essays in the English language. It is a splendid essay and a terrific model for a theme of narration. The point of the story happens very much in our normal life, in fact everyday. People do crazy and sometimes illegal moves to get a certain group or person to finally give them respect. George Orwell describes an internal conflict between his personal morals and his duty to his country to the white man's reputation. The author's purpose is to explain the audience (who is both English and Burmese) about the kind of life he is living in Burma, about the conditions, circumstances he is facing and to tell the British Empire what he think about their imperialism and his growing displeasure for the imperial domination of British Empire.