“In the Hall of the Mountain King” is a movement in the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg that my orchestra performed in the fall of 2014. As I read about the death of an elephant in Wells Tower’s essay “Who Wants to Shoot an Elephant,” I heard this song in the background. The opening of the song is slow and measured, as if the song wishes to sneak behind you before it attacks, just like Robyn Waldrip stalks the different elephants. Then, as the song gets closer to revealing the Mountain King, the pace picks up, and you are caught in the web of wonder and awe as the tempo picks up and the beating of your heart is aligned with the beating of the bass drum. This is how you feel when Robyn finally picks her target. The song continues to hold you in its grip, just as you are held when Robyn fires bullet after bullet, trying to bring down her elephant. Then, suddenly, it is over. You see the elephant is dead. One of the key terms to understanding Tower’s main point are the phrases “coolly and …show more content…
transparently” and “frank and disinterested;” without understanding these phrases, it is impossible to answer this question: why does Tower alternate between relieving the tension and heightening it.
Tower shows the reader, in no uncertain terms, that he himself struggles with his emotional reaction to hunting and shooting an elephant. We see him chastise himself for his emotional reactions, desperately trying to logic his way through them. In trying to compartmentalize his own emotions, he attempts to make the readers do the same. His description of dismembering the dead elephant is one of these attempts: “As the knives flash, the animal becomes less extraordinary, less like the world’s largest land mammal and more a bricolage of familiar butcher-shop hues. The trunk is stripped of its leather, and for
a time it lies in the dirt, looking like an automobile transmission made of fresh raspberry sorbet” (21). This imagery is rather colorful and, in a sense normal, but it is nonetheless describing the dismemberment of a dead creature. His attempts to rationalize this imagery, placing it in a sense of normalcy that our sorrow-ridden brains can comprehend. This is an emotionally-charged situation, so it is interesting that he tries to diffuse tension. In fact, his attempt to diffuse the tension actually serves to increase it. He wants us to feel the same emotional impact as him. We cannot truly understand what he is writing until we go through even a watered-down version of his experience. This serves to give us a newfound sympathy for his position. He wants us to instinctively approach the animal rights topic with a degree of emotional distance; however, he does not want to eliminate our empathy altogether. Tower intentionally ends his essay without a clear answer to the major question—was the ending meant to be a form of cosmic justice—in order to challenge us to examine our own views and rationality. After forcing ourselves to separate emotion and reason, we are still haunted by the image of the dead elephant. Tower does this intentionally, because he too cannot shake his feeling of regret: “Though the harrowing intensity of the elephant’s death will, in time, denature into a fun story to tell at cocktail parties, right now I would trade all of it—the morbid high, the anecdote for my memoirs—to bring this particular elephant back to life” (24). Despite all his logical reasoning, his rationalizing of the shooting, and his reference to statistics, he cannot shake off the emotional catharsis of watching such a great creature die. He knows it is illogical, that it is technically no different from squashing a bug. Yet he is still unable, in that moment to ignore the psychological enormity of what has taken place. This plays to another one of Tower’s key terms: the Dumbo-adoring sensibilities. While elephants are not the same as this cartoon misfit, we still cannot completely separate our child-like vision of animals as inherently good. We watch movies where we hiss at the evil hunters and animal-abusers; Tower wants us to harken back to this childhood sense. He indicates that there may be a lot of wisdom here that is easily overlooked.
In literature, fictional stories can teach characters important lessons needed for their future. The Once and Future King, by T.H. White, tells the story of how the main character, Arthur, reaches his full potential of protecting and supporting his country. All of the knowledge Arthur learns in his youth is key in developing his skills and intellect. In the story Arthur has several unique learning experiences presented by his magical tutor, Merlyn. Learning from Merlyn’s lessons allows Arthur to lose the innocence of childhood and evolve into a wise and powerful king.
They attempted to evoke many different emotions mainly sympathy for the elephant population and a feeling of being surprised at the fact of how big the black market it is and how much of an influence the ivory trade is on people that live in China. One scene provided an excellent example of the pathos techniques is when Craig Miller is standing in the middle of a small group of elephants carcasses while the camera is floating around showing the carcasses while some mournful music plays and Craig talks about the attack that just took place, this scene can be found around the 18 min mark. This scene is effective at conveying emotions because it effectively displays the author's emotion towards poaching with the camera angles it gets on the carcasses of the elephants and the music that plays while it showing this grave brought the emotion of pity towards the elephants. Those elephants probably huddled up to protect the smallest of the elephants making it easier for the poachers to attack them. Poaching isn’t the only horrifying part about the ivory trade, due to the ivory trade being between Africa and China, China has become more dangerous with the government turning a blind eye to the trade and as well as corrupt government officials. At approximately 13 minutes into the movie it shows a man walking down a poorly lit alley way while ominous music is playing in the
During the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century, King Leopold II of Belgium invaded the Congo and used it to procure more wealth for himself and his nation. In doing so, as many as ten million Congolese were decimated, and they faced unspeakable horrors. Hochschild argues in King Leopold’s Ghost that all actions taken by King Leopold II were done out of nothing more than sheer greed and selfishness, and he used any means necessary to get what he wanted, and manipulated others into following suit by exploiting their own greed and racism. The only way the brutality was combated, Hochschild further goes on to describe, was through the actions of the few with a higher moral character.
The excerpt begins by telling of the echoing sound of a wolf's cry. Every creature has a different perception of the meaning of that howl, while the mountain has a different view as well. A deer might be alarmed by it and flee. A hunter may become more alert and trigger-happy. All the while, it's a comfortably soothing sound for the mountain.
In this story ,Orwell is taking part in imperialism by proving his power and dignity to the natives presenting imperialism metaphorically through the use of animals. He is using the elephant as a symbol of imperialism representing power as an untamed animal that has control over the village. He uses a large and very powerful animal to represent a significant metaphor for imperialism.. In doing so he leads to the understanding that the power behind imperialism is only as strong as its dominant rulers. Orwell?s moral values are challenged in many different ways, ironically enough while he too was the oppressor. He is faced with a very important decision of whether or not he should shoot the elephant. If he does so, he will be a hero to his people. In turn, he would be giving in to the imperial force behind the elephant that he finds so unjust and evil. If he lets the elephant go free and unharmed the natives will laugh at him and make him feel inferior for not being able to protect the...
...he elephant, and the elephant, who painfully dies, focuses the reader's attention on the suffering that imperialism causes for both parties. If the shooting was justified, Orwell's argument would have been immensely weakened.
In “Shooting an Elephant” writer George Orwell illustrates the terrible episode that explains more than just the action of “shooting an elephant.” Orwell describes the scene of the killing of an elephant in Burma and reveals a number of emotions he experienced during the short, but traumatic event. Effectively, the writer uses many literary techniques to plant emotions and create tension in this scene, leading to an ironic presentation of imperialism. With each of the realistic descriptions of the observing multitude and the concrete appeal of the narrator’s pathos, Orwell thrives in persuading the audience that imperialism not only has a destructive impact on those being governed under the imperialists’ oppressive power, but also corrupts
“ In the Hall of the Mountain King” This piece was composed in the year of 1875. It was marked as an incidental music. “ Grieg himself wrote "For the Hall of the Mountain King I have written something that so reeks of cowpats, ultra-Norwegianism, and 'to-thyself-be-enough-ness' that I can't bear to hear it, though I hope that the irony will make itself felt. " It is all together in the key of B- minor. The bass, cellos, and bassoons start out the piece.
While Pei argued that the narrator should bear full accountability as he is ultimately motivated by his proud need “not to be laughed at” (Orwell 153), Siraj posited that we should blame not the colonisers or colonised but colonialism itself, which he saw as symbolised by the gun. Additionally, we considered how the elephant was also characterised by language markers of age and sex. Greene points out that it appeared “immensely old” (Orwell 154) at its deathbed while I suggested that Orwell’s transition from “it” to “he” (Orwell 152) after describing the elephant’s violent attack on the Dravidian coolie humanised the elephant along gender
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.
Like the elephant, the empire is dominant. The elephant, an enormous being in the animal kingdom, represents the British Empire in its magnitude. The size represents power as it is assumed that the two are insuppressible. Also, the elephant and the British empire, both share hideousness in the effect it causes in Burma. To create a comparison between the elephant and the empire, the author describes the elephant as wild and terrorizing when the “elephant was ravaging the bazaar” (324); thus, it symbolizes the British Empire is restraining the economy of the Burmese. When the elephant kills the Indian laborer, it represents the British oppressing the Burmese. On the other hand, the elephant is a symbol of colonialism. Like the natives of Burma who have been colonized and who abuse Orwell, the elephant has a destructive behavior by being provoked and oppressed “it had been chained up” (324). Despite the fact of its aggressive behavior and the Burmese’ more astute rebelliousness could be undeniably good things, they are doing their best given the oppressive conditions, both the Burmese and the elephant have to endure. Also, the elephant symbolizes the economy of the oppressor, as well as the oppressed. This animal is a “working elephant” (326) in Burma, and for the colonial power. The Burmese are also working animals because they are hard workers and involuntarily are following the rules of the British empire.
Despite his efforts, the whereabouts of the elephant remain unknown and the elephant case is integrated into the category of “unsolvable mysteries” (318). A few months after the disappearance he reflects upon the town without their elephant; “People seem to have forgotten that their town once owned an elephant. The grass took over the elephant enclosure has withered now and the area has the feel of winter” (327). The mysterious disappearance of the elephant does not have a direct impact on the
The smell of musky cologne, wet dog, and beer mingled in the air. My eyes closed as the familiar scent engulfed the meager camper. Months of waiting all led up to this moment; Grandpa was finally home for the summer. Summers with grandpa were filled with promises of country music, endless rounds of “Kings in the corner”, accompanied by “Archie Bunker” marathons, and an abundance of candy that he would sneak into our pockets.
“It was obvious that the elephant would never rise again, but he was not dead” (155)
Morally, I think this story clearly states that people would do anything to avoid being embarrassed. From my understanding, I think that this story teaches us that we should be open to hear people?s opinions but we should follow our instincts. We should not allow others to make the decisions for us. The police officers just shoot the elephant because people wanted him to do so. This essay is trying to help us to see that we should look at the pros and cons of an issue rather than making a quick decision that can affect someone. I cannot condemn the author for shooting the elephant, though he knew it was wrong. Nor can I condemn him for giving in to the natives and not sticking to his guns. He does not want to appear foolish to others like all of us do.