Simile In Shooting An Elephant

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In the essay, Shooting an Elephant, the author, George Orwell, uses simile, oxymoron, and metaphor to develop a regretful yet reflective tone regarding the shooting of the elephant to create a bigger picture of imperialism and the horrors of it and human nature. The use of simile helped to explain the killing of the elephant, and it’s slow painful death. The elephant's gasps as it lay tortured continued “steadily as the ticking of a clock” but luckily, Orwell had a reason to kill the elephant. The use of simile which appeared in “steadily as the ticking of a clock” in paragraph 12 shows Orwell’s feelings about the incident. The feelings of remorse and regret hit the narrator, as the “ticking” creates an idea that time is passing slowly, and everlasting. …show more content…

The use of this oxymoron shows a bit of both Orwell and natives. The glee coming from the crowd was one of selfishness and, from Orwell’s point of view, it was evil. “Glee” itself is a jolly term; one with a ton of joy and happiness, yet “devilish roar” is much more negative. “Devilish” is a term known for being evil and cruel, and a “roar” is a powerful sound. This “roar” brought attention to Orwell of the cold-hearted nature the natives of the crowd possess, and soon after, Orwell “was told they had stripped his body almost to the bones,” with “his” being the elephant.
Orwell uses the elephant as a metaphor for Imperialism in Burma; the elephant representing Burma and it’s struggle to stay alive. Burma, as you can say, was “powerless to move and yet powerless to die.” The imperialism set in the country was unable to advance and soon enough, was able to pass on to a better

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