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George Orwells Shooting an Elephant
In George Orwell's essay "Shooting An Elephant," he writes about racial prejudice. Orwell is a British officer in Burma. The author is, "for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British"(842). Orwell feels caught in the middle of this cultural struggle. He sympathizes with the oppressed people of India, but is treated poorly, since he is viewed as one of the oppressors. He comes to terms with the role he plays in this vicious cycle of oppression , as an imperial servant, and the influence it has on him to shoot an elephant.
The Burmese people are treated as second class citizens in their own country. They are oppressed, by the British empire, that has invaded their land. Being a police officer Orwell sees ...
Every day, each individual will look back on decisions he or she have made and mature from those experiences. Though it takes time to realize these choices, the morals and knowledge obtained from them are priceless. In George Orwell’s nonfictional essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, a young Orwell was stationed in Burma for the British imperial forces, tasked to deal with an elephant who destroyed various parts of the village Moulmein while its owner was away. Backed by second thoughts and a crowd of thousands, he finds himself shooting the elephant and reflecting that it was not justified; however, it was a choice pushed by his duty and the people. Written with a fusion of his young and old self’s outlook on shooting the elephant, Orwell’s essay is a sensational read that captivates his audience and leaves them questioning his decision.
The essay “Stranger in the village” by James Baldwin, and “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, share a similarity in their experience in a new environments. Orwell a British officer he was not warmly welcome, the Burmese people hated. As for Baldwin it is more of racism than hated. Both essays happen in unfamiliar places where there were racism and discrimination. They do not fit in with the natives and is judged because of their nationalities. However, the themes of these writing differ.
George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is a short story that not only shows cultural divides and how they affect our actions, but also how that cultural prejudice may also affect other parties, even if, in this story, that other party may only be an elephant. Orwell shows the play for power between the Burmese and the narrator, a white British police-officer. It shows the severe prejudice between the British who had claimed Burma, and the Burmese who held a deep resentment of the British occupation. Three messages, or three themes, from Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” are prejudice, cultural divide, and power.
How do you act at school? Is it different from how you are at home? From time to time people act differently around different people and the environment, similar to George Orwell in “Shooting an Elephant.” Orwell acted different around the Burmese and the British. He didn’t like the British way of taking control over, but he wasn’t going to step down and give up his position and have no money or respect. He didn’t like the way the Burmese treated him because of who he worked for. The Burmese and the British all crowded around Orwell, when it was time to decide to shoot the elephant or not. Being influenced by the crowded, even when he doesn’t like them, Orwell shot the elephant to avoid looking like a fool. Apart of being a Gemini, I have
Orwell speaks of how he is so against imperialism, but gives in to the natives by shooting the elephant to prove he is strong and to avoid humiliation. He implies that he does not want to be thought of as British, but he does not want to be thought the fool either. Orwell makes his decision to shoot the elephant appear to be reasonable but underneath it all he questions his actions just as he questions those of the British. He despised both the British Empire as well as the Burmese natives, making everything more complicated and complex. In his essy he shows us that the elephant represents imperialism; therefore, the slow destruction of the elephant must represent the slow demise of British Imperialism.
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...
In the memoir “Shooting an Elephant” written by George Orwell, the author is sent on a job to save an elephant from destroying a village. The natives that lived in the village despised the white men so it was the authors abyss when he spotted the elephant and was trying to figure out what to do (kill the elephant for the people or save it for his morals). The reader may notice some details George Orwell inserted into the story to make the elephant seem like a metaphor for imperialism. On page one he describes the police he is working for, “grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts”. An elephant is a grey animal that is large and very recognized, just like the British Empire in Burman. George Orwell was faced with the difficult decision because the elephant was the British Empire to him but the people in the crowd that had
George Orwell utilizes differing sentence structures and lengths in his essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, to illustrate his aversion to British imperialism. He begins the piece by describing his experiences as a white, British police office in Burma. In this, he primarily uses compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences, most of which are long and periodic. These sentences draw attention to the intolerable effects of British Imperialism on the inhabitants of their colonies and capture his emotions and thoughts. As he continues to describe the chase, and eventual murder, of the rampant elephant, Orwell begins to use short, loose, and declarative sentences, escalating the pace of the story.
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 quest for power is one which has been etched into the minds of men throughout history. However, it can be said that true power is not a result of one’s actions but comes from the following one’s own beliefs without being influenced by others. This principle sets up the story for Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell. The protagonist, Orwell himself, is a sub divisional police officer in Burma, a British colony. Orwell must try to find and use his inner power when he is faced with the decision of whether or not to kill an elephant which has ravaged the Burman’s homes. The state of power established through the imperialistic backdrop show that Orwell, as a colonist, should be in control. As well, the perspective and ideas given by Orwell show his true character and lessen the overall power set up for him. Lastly, the symbols shown are representations of traditional forms of power, but take on different implications in the story. In Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell uses setting, characterization and symbols to show that true power comes from following the dictates of one’s conscience.
Even though, he decided to not shoot, the crowd kept on yelling, causing Orwell to act out of rage. He pulls the trigger of the gun and as he turned to the crowd the Burman’s saw him as a hero instead of a pointless human being. The pressure of others manipulates the self-identity of an individual. Allowing others to determine self-worth impacts a man’s actions. Society’s cruel words torments the reaction of the individual.
George Orwell was a British author that served for five years as an India Imperial Police officer. Orwell died at the early age of 46 years old from tuberculosis. In Orwell’s “Shooting and Elephant” he displays many different feelings such as guilt, hatred, and oppression.
Generally, as a human being, one makes unintentional choices that have long-lasting effects. In "Shooting an Elephant," by George Orwell, the author narrates an experience of his life when he has to choose the lesser of two evils. The story takes place during the five miserable years Orwell spends in Burma as a British police officer. Although Orwell repudiates his circumstance in life he has to kill an elephant, an invaluable work animal, to save his honor. The despondent young officer Orwell lives in mental isolation. Also, Orwell feels repugnance to the British imperialism and the Burmese as well as his job. In his essay, Orwell uses the rifle, Orwell himself, and the elephant as symbols to represent several
In “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell explains how the conflict between the law of a country and one’s own conscience is towards the British imperializing Burma. But also explains the conflict between any country who is or went through imperialism. As an officer, he explains how “In a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters”. He sees what its like for the Burmese and explains how they despise the British who is doing all the “dirty work”. Orwell feels for the Burmese but says how he “…was young and ill-educated and I had had to think out my problems in the utter silence that is imposed on every Englishman in the East”.
"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.