The darkness that blinds all

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Recommended: An essay on imperialism

Imperialism, a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force, is the main focus in this essay. Imperialism comes in many shapes and forms; George Orwell showed this many times in his essay. He views imperialism as an evil thing or as a wrongful doing. He shows us how evil imperialism can be by using allusion. He shows how he was forced to do things he does not want to do, but choose to do so because that is what was expected of him. He uses a story from his past to show how cruel imperialism can be. Orwell himself uses parallel between the British Empire and the elephant to send a message about Imperialism. Orwell is a very complex man, he begins to contradict himself by saying he hates what imperialism does but chooses to work for that government. Even though he states that he hated his job, his actions show imperialism. When having the choice to kill or not to kill the elephant, he chose death. This here specifies how imperialism took over; oddly enough not by the government but by the people. The people staring and waiting for him to ki...

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  • The Role Of Irony And Diction In George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant

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  • Conflict In Shooting An Elephant

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    Orwell uses language to express his remorse over shooting an elephant. In the first paragraph, Orwell draws attention to the enormous creature's "agony" after the third shot had "[knocked] the last remnant of strength from his legs". Then later in paragraph two, he continues to use language to describe how the elephant was "breathing very rhythmically with long rattling gasps". However, as the "agony" of the elephant continues, Orwell begins to describe the breathing as incessant rather than rhythmically. These examples of language allow us to visualize the powerless creature's never-ending suffering. With each breath the helpless animal takes, the more Orwell realizes he had never wanted to shoot it in the first place. He tries everything

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  • True Power in "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell

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    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.

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