Shooting An Elephant Dichotomy

There are many history books that discuss British Imperialism. However, I have not come across many writings on personal experiences during that period. In “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell discusses his involvement with Imperialism. Orwell served as a European police officer in Burma during the time of Imperialism. In his writing of “Shooting an Elephant” Orwell describes an incident of an elephant on the loose, and what he had to do to control the situation. Orwell was successful in conveying his experience due to his use of dichotomy, imagery, and cause and effect.

George Orwell writes with a strong use of Dichotomy. Essentially, the definition of dichotomy is a contrast between two things that are entirely opposite. In “Shooting an Elephant” the two opposing forces were the Burmese citizens and the European authorities. During the time of British Imperialism, Orwell served as European police officer over the people of Burma. Ultimately, Orwell and the British people were powerful and the Burmese citizens were

powerless. This sense of Dichotomy caused the residence of Burma to loathe the European guards. As Orwell states, “I was hated by a large number of people. . .as a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so”(Orwell 784). In this quote Orwell was describing the feelings of hate the Burmese felt towards him, simply because he was employed by the British government.
Furthermore, the use of imagery by Orwell in “Shooting an Elephant” is extremely effective.

“It was a very poor quarter, a labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts, thatched palm-leaf, winding all over steep hillside”(Orwell 785). In this quote Orwell describes a village quarter in which he was passing while searching for an escaped elephant. One can certainly picture the homes built from bamboo and thatched palm-leaf, and the placement of the huts on the steep hill. Similarly, the imagery used by Orwell to describe the throng of Burmese citizens who came to watch the excitement of capturing the escaped elephant was fantastic. “The crowd grew very still, and a deep, low, happy sigh, as of people who see the theatre curtain go up at last, breathed from innumerable throats”(Orwell 788). In this quote, Orwell describes to the reader the excitement the crowd felt. This description allows the reader to visualize the anticipation exuding the Burmese

people.
Moreover, Orwell effectively brings across the message of “Shooting an Elephant” with cause and effect. After discovering the escaped elephant, Orwell originally wanted to wait for the elephant’s trainer to retrieve it; however because Orwell felt pressure from the mass of people watching him, Orwell shot the Elephant. Orwell writes, “For at that moment, with the crowd watching me, I was not afraid in the ordinary sense, as I would have been if I had been alone. . .The sole thought in my mind was that if anything went wrong those two thousand Burmans would see me. . .trampled. . .and if that happened it was quite probable that some of them would laugh. That would never do. There was only one alternative” (Orwell 788). In this quote Orwell depicts how if he was alone, he would not be able to shoot the elephant. Simply because there was a crowd of people who would rejoice in his death, Orwell suddenly developed bravery and shot the elephant. “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool” (Orwell 789). In this quote Orwell openly writes that the sole reason he shot the elephant was because he did not want to look foolish in front of the Burmese people.
“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell effectively describes his experience as European police officer in Burma. Three methods successfully used by Orwell were dichotomy, imagery, and cause and effect. The use of these writing methods allowed the reader to get a clear sense of the power the British held over Burma, provided the reader with distinct description of Orwell’s encounter of the elephant, and showed the accuracy of how people can cause others to do things they normally would not.