The Justification Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell Social Darwinism

George Orwell's short story, Shooting an Elephant, was written in 1936. During this era, ideas pertaining to imperialism were starting to spread impregnate the minds of people everywhere. Major advances in technology led to immense growth in industries, which fostered ideas of expanding international affairs. Social Darwinism, economic prophet, technological advances, geopolitics, and nationalism are all posited justifications for imperialism in the 19th century. George Orwell dismantles these justifications by opposing the British belief of Social Darwinism and depicting the way in which the British abuse their new technology.

Although there were many justifications of imperialism during the 19th century, the most prominent was Social Darwinism.

Rudyard Kipling wrote about Social Darwinism in The White Man's Burden, telling the people to "send forth the best ye breed--go bind your sons to exile to serve your captives' need...fill full the mouth of famine and bid sickness cease" (Kipling). Kipling believed that it is the duty of the civilized people to improve other 'inferior' nations who cannot support themselves. He believed that imperialism was not just created to allow one nation to easily take over another through expansion, but rather that it was formed support those struggling in the world.
A contradiction that Orwell exposes in the the justifications for imperialism pertains to the idea of Social Darwinism.

Social Darwinism is the influence behind the act of one country taking over another country intending to facilitate progression in society. Orwell writes that "[he] of course was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British. As for the job [he] was doing, [he] hated it...in a job like that you see the dirty work of Empires in close quarters" (Orwell 233). Since the British held themselves as superior to the Burmese, they believed it was their duty to seize the inferior Burmese territory in the name of advancement. This facade of advancement proved shallow as the British impounded the natives, incarcerating "huddling [them] in the stinking cages of lock-ups" (Orwell 233). When the British conquered the Burmese land, they had no intent of improving the quality of life for the natives. Orwell notes the British Empire's apathy in regards to the inhabitants of the nation's that they conquer; they just throw the captives in cages like wild animals. The British masquerade their selfish influences of expansion with a veil of

advancement.
Orwell highlights the British abuse of their new technology, negating any positive aspect of the advancements.

These advancements led to the creation of better guns and ships. The new ships aided the British Empire in expanding their influence. However, the newly modified weapons affected the foreigners in negative ways. Once a nation was captured, the natives were sent to "huddling in the stinking cages of lock-ups" (Orwell 233). There was no need for the British to beat the captives and treat them like animals by locking them in cages. By mistreating the inhabitants of the Burmese territories, Orwell demonstrates how the British lacked the good-will intentions of imperialism. Orwell also says that many of the captives have "been flogged with bamboos -- all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt" (Orwell 233). Orwell challenges the sadistic ways in which the British use their technological advances. Instead of using these new advancements explicitly to expand their influence, the British use their weapons to excessively exacerbate the quality of life for the

natives.
George Orwell contradicts many aspects of 19th century imperialism. To Orwell, the British poorly upheld the ideals of Social Darwinism and brought suffering to the natives through the new technology. Social Darwinism was a concept created to justify selfish attempts to aid those struggling in the world. The British twisted the meaning of Social Darwinism, claiming that they were 'helping' people in the nation's they conquered, when in actuality they were just trying to expand their territory. When seizing new territory, the British ignored their original intentions to improve the quality of life of the people in the land that they conquered and instead demoralized them, locking them up in cages. The British also abused their new advances in weaponry. When the British restrained the natives in cages, they beat some of them to show that they now had authority over their society. When carried out in a humane and just manner, imperialism is justifiable. But, if the concept of imperialism is abused, then rights of the inferior groups are disregarded.