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Every author puts a great deal of effort in making their work successful, meaningful and symbolic however, some author do excellent job in achieving this goal and on the other hand some might be unsuccessful to achieve the goal. In the essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, the author George Orwell has worked extremely hard to express and relate the meaning of the symbols to the story. In the essay, the protagonist character George Orwell is the Indian imperial police officer in Burma and is hated by Burmese people because he is a part of the British Empire who is the oppressor of the Burmese people. Orwell does show sympathy of native people of Burma but he cannot do anything else to change the minds of the British Empire. Afterwards, he comes to the point where he has to make an unwanted decision of shooting an elephant due to the pressure of the Burmese People and also Orwell himself did not want to lose his pride to the native people of the Burma. Throughout the essay, George Orwell has used several symbols effectively such as, the …show more content…
In the essay, many symbols are used such as, the elephant, dead coolie, George Orwell and rifle which have their specific meaning to the story and are understandable to the reader. George Orwell has used each symbol with reliable support in the essay that had effective meaning to it. For example, the elephant symbolized how Burmese people were pressurized to work under colonial British rules of the British Empire. The dead coolie represented the justification for Orwell to shoot an elephant. Moreover, the rifle symbolized the power of the British Empire that was misused by Orwell to put his superior personality towards Burmese people. All in all, these all symbols were incorporated in an outstanding way so that symbols were easy to understand and find out the meaning behind each of
Orwell argues in “Shooting an Elephant ” that countries lose power went they become imperialist and totalitarian countries. In “Shooting an Elephant ” he gives the main character beliefs and the will to do the right thing. Despite the main character's sympathy for the people he severs, the people still ridicule him. When the protagonist gets the chance to please the people he does it because he does not want to look weak. He is an instrument of the will of the people he severs, just like totalitarian governments. This argument opened my eye about totalitarian rule, but I am not completely convinced it has discussed all the values in this equation. Totalitarians are only the puppet of the majority. So, if the Totalitarian can manipulate the majority, he can subject his will.
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.
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.
elephant: ?Here I was the white man with his gun, standing in front of the
Many authors convey a message that the reader usually has to find out on their own by reading behind the lines and thinking of the bigger picture. The story Shooting an Elephant, written by George Orwell tells the story of a moment in the author’s life when he witnessed injustice, due to the imperial corruption of his country. People who are from third world countries would be able to relate to the point Orwell is trying to get across, because they too have also experienced the hatred from their own townspeople. Orwell displays his true feelings about shooting the elephant by using strong diction and imagery. These rhetorical devices unfold the author’s true feelings on killing the animal.
In the essay ?Shooting an Elephant? by George Orwell, the author uses metaphors to represent his feelings on imperialism, the internal conflict between his personal morals, and his duty to his country. Orwell demonstrates his perspectives and feelings about imperialism.and its effects on his duty to the white man?s reputation. He seemingly blends his opinions and subjects into one, making the style of this essay generally very simple but also keeps it strong enough to merit numerous interpretations. Orwell expresses his conflicting views regarding imperialism throughout the essay by using three examples of oppression and by deliberatly using his introspection on imperialism.
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.
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.
In George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant, Orwell suggests just that; one can form his own ideals, but they will either be changed by the media (symbolized in his essay by the Burmese natives) or constructed from...
Jonerl maignan. Professor: Liamog English 102 6 February 2017 “Shooting an Elephant”-George Orwell, In the story “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell, in the story Orwell finds himself at the mercy of a hooting crowd of Burmese villagers eager to see him shoot an elephant gone “must.” The Orwell is confronted with a moral dilemma and abandons his morals to escape the mockery of the native Burman’s. He feels compelled to shoot the animal because the Burman’s “did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching” (473).
When he finial find the elephant Orwell say “I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him.” But when he lays his eyes on the crowd he changes his stance to “but I did not want to shoot the elephant.”(Orwell 199). He felt guilty for shooting the elephant when he describe that the elephant worth more alive than dead, but despite the many reason not to shoot the elephant, he took a shot. Orwell describes “when I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick …I fired again into the same spot…I fired a third time. That was the shot that did it for him.”(199) the shooting of the elephant represent the Burma people trying to stay alive and over powering by the
When young Hughes is the last child on the bench he experienced several feelings that he shared. First there is the feeling of anticipation, He expects that any minute Jesus would come to him and he would be saved but nothing happened, the Lamb of God did not come. According to the text, it says “I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing!”
In his essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell utilises figurative language to convey his purpose of discussing the dangers of societal influences on others. “Shooting an Elephant” illustrates a corrupted town and the inhumane acts of the people living there, as shown through Orwell’s use of metaphor, simile, and oxymoron. The use of this figurative language aids in amplifying the monstrous acts of the people.
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
"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.