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Unanticipated choices can possibly have a long lasting impact in one person’s life or a whole society{Hook}. In “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell feels a certain hatred and guilt towards himself, his empire, and the “evil-spritted little beasts”, the Burma people when he was a representative of the British government during the English occupation of Burma. In the essay Orwell not only writes about his personal experience with the elephant but how metaphorical the experience is to imperialism. Therefore, he examines the effect of imperialism on the imperialist, and he reminds his audience that even though he is an authority figure with power of the Burmese, however, he does not receive any respect from the Burmese ““No one had the guts to
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.
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.
In George Orwell novel, “Shooting an Elephant” he expresses his fear and indefinite feelings of shooting an elephant so that he can impress the natives of his town as a white man. Orwell’s purpose is to convey the white men of his town that holding a rifle in his hand means that he is self-reliant and can impress the natives. He creates a inside imagery of a convinced feeling and encouragement by the thousands of people that crowded the streets just to see him shot a elephant. By doing so, he builds the confidence from the town people that followed him as a way to show that natives what they expect from him. In George Orwell’s novel “Shooting an Elephant”, he gives the reader a observable understanding through his use of words using his imagery, tone words, and figurative language.
elephant: ?Here I was the white man with his gun, standing in front of the
In the essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, George Orwell retells his experiences and feelings of being disrespected as a sub-divisional police officer in Moulmein, Burma. Early one morning, In the lower part of Burma, an elephant was reported ravaging the bazaar. As Orwell’s curiosity persuades him to go investigate the elephant, the author sees the damage that the elephant left behind. He prepares out of fear to “murder” the elephant with an elephant rifle. In doing this he excited the Burmese, who led a crowd behind Orwell, encouraging him to shoot the elephant who was now no more harmless than a cow. Orwell’s diction and actions, shows a complex tone towards the natives through his loyalties, his use of racist slurs, and his struggle with power and control.
In the essay, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell illustrates his experiences as a British police officer in Lower Burma, and reflects it to the nature of imperialism. Since “anti-European feeling was very bitter” due to the British Empire’s dictatorship in Burma, Orwell is being treated disrespectfully by the Burmese (12). This allows him to hate his job and the British Empire. However, the incident of shooting of an elephant gives him a “better glimpse … of the real nature of imperialism – the real motives for which despotic government act” (13). Through his life experiences as a British man, Orwell efficiently demonstrates the negative effects of imperialism on individuals and society.
Throughout "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell, he addresses his internal battle with the issues of morality and immorality. He writes of several situations that show his immoral doings. When George Orwell signed up for a five-year position as a British officer in Burma he was unaware of the moral struggle that he was going to face. Likewise, he has an internal clash between his moral conscious and his immoral actions. Therefore, Orwell becomes a puppet to the will of the Burmese by abandoning his thoughts of moral righteousness. This conflicts with the moral issue of relying upon other's morals, rather than one's own conscience.
The glorious days of the imperial giants have passed, marking the death of the infamous and grandiose era of imperialism. George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the solider and the elephant turns this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism.
In “Shooting an Elephant” writer George Orwell illustrates the terrible episode that explains more than just the action of “shooting an elephant.” Orwell describes the scene of the killing of an elephant in Burma and reveals a number of emotions he experienced during the short, but traumatic event. Effectively, the writer uses many literary techniques to plant emotions and create tension in this scene, leading to an ironic presentation of imperialism. With each of the realistic descriptions of the observing multitude and the concrete appeal of the narrator’s pathos, Orwell thrives in persuading the audience that imperialism not only has a destructive impact on those being governed under the imperialists’ oppressive power, but also corrupts
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...
Unanticipated choices one is forced to make can have long-lasting effects. In "Shooting an Elephant," by George Orwell, the author recounts an event from his life when he was about twenty years old during which he had to choose the lesser of two evils. Many years later, the episode seems to still haunt him. The story takes place at some time during the five unhappy years Orwell spends as a British police officer in Burma. He detests his situation in life, and when he is faced with a moral dilemma, a valuable work animal has to die to save his pride.
Summary of Shooting an Elephant The main character was a European sub-divisional police officer in Moulmein, Burma. He was hated by large numbers of Indian people because of his ties to British Imperialism. The young officer was always being harassed by the locals. He bitterly hated his position because he disagreed with how the British oppressed the Burmese people.
Shooting an Elephant, written by George Orwell, is a short autobiographical essay about an incident that occurred during the time of his service as a police officer in Burma. The essay is centered around an event in which Orwell was forced to shoot an elephant against his own wishes. Using this episode which resulted in the clash between his own personal beliefs and the expectations of those around him, Orwell sends a message that imperialism is a lose-lose game that hurts the oppressed, as well as the oppressor. Furthermore, he indirectly advises the readers to act according to one’s personal wishes, not those of others.
In this article Orwell portrays the role of an caring, considerate man. Orwell grew up in a bias,anti semitic town which led to him becoming a sub-divisional officer. “As for the job I was doing, I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear”, this statement justifies that Orwell make his life decisions upon what others think and feel towards him. Orwell felt that getting an authority job was the only way he would feel some type of importance In his life.
"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.