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Symbolism and Literary Techniques in George Orwell's
Animal farm by george orwell analysis
Animal farm by george orwell analysis
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Just by a simple glance at George Orwell's style of writing one can grasp a lot. He first starts the essay by discussing how the narrator was poorly treated in Lower Burma when serving as a police officer. More specifically the narrator states, "I was hated by large numbers of people,", and "anti-European feeling was very bitter." From there one could interpret that although he was a British soldier with much power he was "baited whenever it seemed safe to do so." He then goes into much detail and paints scenes into the reader's mind such as how a European woman could not cross the market without having someone "spit betel juice over her dress," to create a sense of remorse for the roughly treated Europeans. Furthermore, Orwell creates detailed imagery throughout his text to show how poorly Europeans were treated in Burma. He uses connotation words in the scenes he creates to display a certain feeling. For an example, in football scene where someone trips he uses the word "hideous laughter" to display the audience's support of bad treatment to the Europeans and their cruelty. Soon after succeeding in gaining the reader's sympathy by expressing the narrator's feelings as an Anglo-Indian in Burma, Orwell shifts his focus on criticizing imperialism.
In his second paragraph, the narrator overtly utters his criticism towards imperialism when he says "I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing... I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British."At this point, the reader can interpret that the narrator has sympathy for the Burmese; however, is put in a circumstance that he has no choice but to obey the oppressor, the British due to his position. This is where the reader can relate the them...
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...irony in his essay to come across with the point to put an end to imperialism; which is symbolized as the "Elephant" in the essay. There are many parts of the essay where irony can be found. For an example, when the narrator was being poorly treated by the Burmese and, then later on, the narrator sympathizing for the Burmese being part of the British domination. The other type of irony Orwell implies is when the narrator, a leader in Burma, follows the Burmese expectations and shoots the elephant to avoid looking like a fool and being part of the 'imperialist leaders'. The irony here is him stating at the end of the essay "I was very glad that the coolie had been killed; it put me legally in the right and it gave me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant." because he was glad that someone has been killed, so that he can help out the Burmese by also killing.
Orwell uses irony within the passage. For example, “I often wondered whether any of the [other Europeans] grasped that ii had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.” He is being ironic because he didn’t want to shoot the elephant. He went against his own morals to protect his reputation from the people. This only shows that Orwell isn’t the one in command, it’s the Burmans. Additionally, when the author states, “For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life
In 1922, Orwell began working as the assistant superintendent of police in Myaungmya, Burma, and this is where his hatred toward imperialism and its tyrannical rule over the underdogs in society developed. He felt guilty torturing and flogging unwilling subjects. The community had taken too much power over the individual, and the imperialist society commanded Orwell to enforce this injustice: “I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible. With one part of my mind I thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny…with another part I thought the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s guts. Feelings like these are normal by-products of imperialism” (qtd. in Lewis 41). Obviously, imperialism had affected Orwell to the point where he developed animosity towards the Burmese. As a policeman doing “the dirty work of the Empire” (qtd. in Lewis 41), Orwell acquired a hatred for imperialism, a belief that is focused on dominion over other individuals.
In “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell experiences humiliation. “When a nimble Burman tripped me up on the football field and the referee looked the other way, the crowd yelled with hideous laughter” (p.323) His profession of being a police officer made him an enemy and a target to most people in town. “None of them had anything to do except stand on the street corners and jeer at Europeans.” (pg.323) The natives spent most of their time picking on Europeans who were
George Orwell uses setting, characterization and symbols to show that true power come from following the dictates of one’s conscience. The state of power established through the imperialistic backdrop show that Orwell should have control over the Burmese. Also, the perspective and ideas given by Orwell show his true character and lessens the overall power set up for him. Lastly, the symbols Orwell uses show representation of traditional forms of power, but take on different implications in the story. These points come together to prove that power exists within one’s self and not through one’s position, conquests or by the items they possess. In the end, it can be said that man’s journey for power will be a continuous struggle until the end of time but that in order at attain power, one must learn to listen to one’s conscience.
One feeling that is carried out through the end of the narrative is guilt. Orwell despised his job as he stated, “I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.” (323) In a job like Orwell’s at the time, he got to see the dirty work of the empire at close quarters. As Orwell states, “The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos-all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of
In George Orwell’s essay, “Why I Write”, he states that he writes because he has a
Winston Smith follows the traditional path of a hero 's journey. O’Brien calls him to adventure calling to him in a dream. The threshold crossing is when Winston buys the little black journal from the old antique shop. It was his first secret act against the Party. His mentor is O’Brien, and Winston clings to the words from his dream for hope. He meets Julia who is of great help to motivate Winston and encourage his independent thinking. For too long, Winston had depended on the Party to do the thinking. He went through life almost without having to think, but since his journey he has learned to search for truth and question the doctrine of society. Winston discovered, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” (Orwell 81).”
In the essay ?Shooting an Elephant? by George Orwell, the author uses metaphors to represent his feelings on imperialism, the internal conflict between his personal morals, and his duty to his country. Orwell demonstrates his perspectives and feelings about imperialism.and its effects on his duty to the white man?s reputation. He seemingly blends his opinions and subjects into one, making the style of this essay generally very simple but also keeps it strong enough to merit numerous interpretations. Orwell expresses his conflicting views regarding imperialism throughout the essay by using three examples of oppression and by deliberatly using his introspection on 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
Throughout his short story, Orwell uses the device of imagery to implant the emotions and state of the towns people towards the Europeans and helps the reader visualize the situation. Orwell states that the town of Moulmein was very divided. Many of the “sneering yellow faces” and insults toward Orwell and other Europeans alike got on his nerves (Orwell 1). Orwell feels out of place in Burma, as many people “hoot insults” at him as he walks by (Orwell 1). Orwell included
I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool." So ends George Orwell's poignant reminiscence of an incident representing the imperialist British in Burma. Unlike Soyinka, who wrote about colonialism from the African's point of view, Orwell, like Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness, presents the moral dilemmas of the imperialist. Orwell served with the Imperialist Police in Burma while it was still part of the British Commonwealth and Empire. His service from 1922 to 1927 burdened himwith a sense of guilt about British colonialism as well a need to make some personal expiation for it (Norton 2259). "Shooting an Elephant" chronicles an incident in which Orwell confronts a moral dilemma and abandons his morals to escape the mockery of the native Burmans. He repeatedly shoots and kills an elephant which had ravaged a bazaar and scared many Burmans even though "As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him" (6).
The character, himself, is part of the British rule and is supposed to have all of the power. The Burmese, though, dangle the power in front of him. He is weak and unsure of himself, stating that he “wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it” (60). The character is not able to stand up for what he believes in -- that is, not shooting the elephant. There is a back and forth struggle in his mind about whether or not the elephant needs to be killed. Orwell’s character is fully aware that it is wrong and immoral to shoot an innocent creature, but eventually secedes to the demands of the Burmese, attempting to prove his cooperation and loyalty to those watching. In a way, the Burmese represent the pressures of society. Because of this, the audience can sympathize with the main character. There are always times when we, the readers, are unsure of ourselves, but we eventually make a decision. Whether we make the decision for ourselves or are assisted by others, in the end, we must take responsibility for our own actions. In a broader sense, Orwell’s character represents the internal conflict that everyone faces: should we conform to society or should we be our own
The article talks of George Orwell’s motivation behind writing, including the uglier sides of it. Orwell speaks of many points for the thought process of an author. It may be a tiring, draining process but is fueled by love and passion, though the kind of passion can vary. He states writing should never seem like task, or chore to do. However, it is not wholly a selfless endeavour; writing by some merit is driven by vanity, a sense of need to be remember or leave an impact of the world. Personal conflicts are a tightrope to be balanced on in writing, for the personality and opinions of the author must bleed in and color the words yet not overwhelm and consume the piece. The article states that aesthetic enthusiasm is another force behind the writing, this be the appeal a story brings to a wide audience through beauty within and surrounding the writing. The ways all these clash and blend to create a story, as Orwell says, “It can be seen how these various impulses must war against one another, and how they must fluctuate from person to person and from time to time.” Most of all, writing is a creative process that one must love with an intensity, or else what is the point to begin with?
Orwell’s differing techniques in one work illuminates what he is talking about in the other. The political purpose that is explained in Why I Write reveals aspects of Shooting an Elephant that were previously overlooked. Quite explicitly, the speaker in Shooting an Elephant vocalizes the dissent he feels for the British empire. The political purpose in this work may have been to voice the opinion that no people should be subject to oppression. Even though the Burmese people jeered at the speaker for his European heritage, the speaker still saw beyond the prejudice to consider the underlying reason behind this foul treatment; he even went to the extent to agree with them and join in on the fight against the empire. This level of maturity that Orwell instills in his main character voices his opinion for freedom even louder than a character or storyline that outright fought against the literal British empire, or any other oppressive regime. By incorporating this political purpose so deeply within his story, Orwell preserves a writer’s integrity of creating meaningful work that voices an opinion but is still tactfully crafted. In Why I Write, George Orwell touches on these different types of writing, writing that is crafted and writing that is produced. “You’ve turned what might have been a good book into
"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.