...According to Orwell’s depiction of Imperialism as one of his main themes in the story, which can be found all over the story at many points, it causes tensions between the natives, it affects both sides, it promotes immorality to gain the oppressors needs, and it makes people such as the officer take decisions that they ought not to in their daily lives. For example Orwell states that “the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny...prostate people”, and he goes on in the same paragraph mentioning the “bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s guts”. “feelings like these are normal by the products of imperialism ask any anglo indian official” Imperialism also promotes racism, prejudice, and resentment. The oppressors continues to break rules and disregards rights in order to stay in power and to show control of the land and people. This increases resentment in natives as shown in the story that even though the elephant does not have any strength the officer wants to make sure that it dies, “lands a bullet after a bullet to put the beast to end”, meaning the oppressor wants to make sure that enough damage is done to those oppressed that they are completely broken and have no ways to resent or to retaliate. Even though the elephant stood their and was calm the officer still made the decision of shooting it basing on the “yellow faces” as he mentions would have thought of him as weak or fool if he hadn’t shot the elephant. This certainly shows that the oppressor would do anything in his power...
Words: 2021 - Pages: 9
...Final Draft October 23, 2008 The Depravity of British Imperialism In 1886, Burma lost its independence and sovereignty to Great Britain in the “Third Anglo-Burmese” War. At that time, Great Britain had one of its colonies in the sub-continental region of India which was known as “British India.” Eventually, Burma was annexed into British India and was oppressed under British imperialism. Imperialism is “a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force” (Oxford Dictionary). In the essay “Shooting An Elephant” by George Orwell, imperialism is portrayed as a corrupt act in which the British Empire imposes itself on Burma. Orwell use rhetorical techniques to describe how imperialism can create grotesque effects on both the British and Burmese. In Orwell’s essay, characters such as the police officer, the local Burmese people and the elephant display the brutal reality British imperialism. The British police officer serves his country in Burma and is constantly mocked by the local Burmese. But, one day they praise him when he kills the outrageous elephant that is let loose in the neighborhood. George Orwell effectively depicts the theme of imperialistic depravity through the use of symbolism, irony and visual imagery in “Shooting An Elephant.” George Orwell exemplifies the immorality of British imperialism through the use of symbolism. In “Shooting An Elephant,” the elephant becomes wild and starts raging through the Burmese neighborhood...
Words: 885 - Pages: 4
...Shooting an elephant - By George Orwell Imperialism is the appellation for a policy, where a ruler in a country attempts to oppress another country. This is mainly the theme and point in the essay “Shooting an elephant” The story is written by the author George Orwell, and centers about this problem which was going on between the British and the Burmese. The essay is written as a metaphor describing the British imperialism, and gives the readers an insight in how George's opposition against the imperialism is expressed. Another theme in the story is the meeting between two cultures – in where it describes the burmese, that despise the British. Apart from that, George himself is going though a process of self-deception, which is showed clearly in this story. George Orwell was born on 25th June 1903, and was a well known English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. George Orwell was one of the most influential English writers in the 20th century, and is mostly known for the novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and the novella “Animal Farm”. George Orwell was working in The British Imperial Police from 1922-1927, where he wrote the essay “Shooting an elephant” as a reflection about the British imperialism in India. The setting is in Moulmein in Lower Burma in the 1920's, and is taking place in a poor city. “It was a very poor quarter, a labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts, thatched with palm-leaf, winding all over a steep hillside.” (Page 112, line 12-14) The society...
Words: 989 - Pages: 4
...In the story of Shooting an Elephant the author George Orwell uses many themes that can be related to yourself in life. In the story, the protagonist is himself and he explains the empire of the British that controls Burma and the Burmese natives. He is a police man in lower Burma, and is forced to shoot a ravaging elephant that is tearing up the town otherwise the town people would joke and laugh at him. The overall theme of this story is peer pressure from the people and also the power of imperialism that can affect you and others. The story is told in a first person point of view. Orwell describes himself through the narrator’s voice. He described the Burmese people as mean and disrespectful. The village police were often teased and made fun of because of their ethnicity and look. “As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so” (Orwell, G. (1950). Shooting An Elephant.). The police of the town were obviously noticeable to heckle. The readers of the story have to recognize the power of peer pressure. It can cause a big amount of anxiety which can make you think different in different situations....
Words: 633 - Pages: 3
...In the essay “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell Orwell sees imperialism in multiple points-of-view. First off, while Orwell is describing the prisoners he shows a hidden the cruelty of imperialism. Orwell draws the picture of “wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of lock-ups” some with “scarred buttocks [...] had been Bogged with bamboos” (2). Orwell is showing that the prisoners, treated as animals, being humiliated by their oppressors. In addition, Orwell believes imperialism ‘destroyed the freedom’ of the native population. In the moments before shooting the elephant Orwell perceives “that when a white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom he destroys”(7). By saying this Orwell points out the irony of imperialism. Orwell...
Words: 257 - Pages: 2
... “Shooting an Elephant” Background Eric Arthur Blair is the real name of the author in “Shooting an Elephant.” George Orwell was Blair’s pen name. He was born June 25th, 1903 in Motihari, India and died January 21st, 1950 in London, United Kingdom. His role models include Charles Dickens and Aldous Huxley. The British novelist and essayist also became a teacher at Hawthorns High School in Hayes, West London in April of 1932. Orwell’s publications include Burmese Days (1934), Animal Farm: A Fairy Story (1945), Why I Write (1946), and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). His work mainly focuses on controversial topics, such as imperialism, fascism, and...
Words: 793 - Pages: 4
...March 20, 2012 Shooting an Elephant and Decolonising the Mind In life, we as humans often make decisions that we would not have made on our own if we would not of had influence by someone else. In both “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell and “Decolonising the Mind,” by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o both Orwell and Thiong’o received the British colonial education. As humans, others' opinions mean a great deal to us, and in "Shooting an Elephant", and “Decolonising the Mind,” they both have one thing in common: English. "Shooting an Elephant" is the story of a British policeman in Moulmein, a city in Burma, that is torn between shooting or not shooting an elephant that has gone ramped. Many people may misinterpret George Orwell's tone in the essay "Shooting an Elephant." People often construe that the story is about Orwell's decision to either shoot the elephant, or to just peacefully observe it until the mahout came to tame the animal. The story is actually about the struggles Orwell faces because of his position "in between" the Burmese and the imperialistic system. Orwell portrays a distinctive amount of irony in this piece of writing because after he reviewed the situation and started this essay, he spotted a lot of irony in the actions between himself, the people of Burma, and the British Empire. Thiong’o gives a powerful image of how British government tries to control the culture of Kenya. In “Decolonising the Mind”, Thiong’o illustrates his childhood: “All the...
Words: 1135 - Pages: 5
...paper, I would focus on what part of Orwell's exposition Shooting an Elephant makes it a work of art. Moreover, I would introduce one book related novel called A Passage to India by E.M Forster and a musical composition by Bob Dylan entitled Rolling Stone. which I would be contending on why these authors and artist works are worthy of being consider classic and on the off chance that they can be considered similarly great. George Orwell is best prominent for his last two books, the anti-powerful, controlling government works Animal Farm and 1984. He was an exceptionally adroit and experienced writer . Among his most puissant essays is the 1931 self- portraying essay Shooting an Elephant, which Orwell reflects on his experience as a police officer in pioneer Burma. Shooting an Elephant can be identified as one of the most classical essays in the English language. It is an extraordinarily composed article and a dynamite for a topic of portrayal. Throughout the essay, Orwell develops his proposition on the impacts of colonialism on the general population who are abused as well on the general population abuse individuals, also. The theme, of Shooting an Elephant is to uncover the issues between the law and one's ethical feeling of good and bad as this relates to British government solidly. One major key aspect that makes Shooting an Elephant a classical is that it deals with the evils of imperialism. Imperialism has been edified throughout history but Orwell's narration...
Words: 1040 - Pages: 5
...necessary for the notion of personal responsibility. If people do not have free will, then it is difficult to argue that they are personally and morally responsible for their actions - and if that is the case, how can they be punished for their misdeeds? In fact, how can they be praised for the good things they do, if those actions were not also freely chosen? George Orwell did not have free will when it came to shooting the elephant. Orwell expresses his conflicting views regarding imperialism through three examples of oppression by his country, by the Burmese, and by himself on the Burmese. Thus he was not morally responsible. This made Orwell realize his role in society and has made him a stronger man. But first let’s see what led to his feeling toward the Burmese people. The building up of the feeling of pressure starts with Orwell feeling humiliated and disrespected from the Burmese and shifts to a feeling of authority and presence as a result of the elephant's closeness. It was a common feeling for the Burmese to be bitter towards Europeans as a result of imperialism. It seemed as though the Burmese had grown a feeling of hatred towards the British Empire. They took their hatred as far as humiliating him by tripping him in a football field in front of a large sneering crowd. "In the end the sneering yellow...
Words: 1204 - Pages: 5
...Shooting an elephant ”Shooting an elephant” is an essay written by George Orwell and published in 1936. The text is told by a first person narrator, who tells us about being a policeman in Burma and about his doubt, whether to kill an animal or not. The man who tells us the story is an unhappy young policeman who lives in mental isolation. He hates British imperialism, he hates Burmese natives, and he hates his job. He feels like a target for the Burmese people. The natives are treating him very badly; they are making fun of the white man. They laugh at the protagonist and sneer at him when he passes them. “In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe distance, got badly on my nerves.” We still don’t get the impression that the narrator hates the natives, we get the feeling that he understand them. He puts himself into the same positions as they are; he is in the same position- also oppressed and hated, but cause by his own nation’s occupation. The Indians are also oppressed by the British and the white man. The story is written in a period where England had colonies all over the world. The British are trying to make an empire far away from home; they conquer other countries and try to assimilate the population to their own rules and traditions. The white man has an thought, that they are the chosen people to civilize primitive races. They are clever, educated, and rich and therefore...
Words: 1048 - Pages: 5
...Shooting an Elephant In all societies we can be forced to do something because it is expected of us. The consideration you go through before taking action can seem interminable. Taking actions on your own is what makes you independent as an individual person. There are people who can handle the pressure from the expectation and there are people who cannot. The short story "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell from 1936 explains the thoughts and the speculation that goes through a person’s head in the heat of the moment. The story takes place in Burma which then was a part of The British Empire. Throughout the story we see the how the European culture conflicts with the India culture and how British citizens are described as superior citizens compared to the natives. The main character was a British sub divisional police officer who got the task to shoot a demented elephant. He did not like the society that he lived in. "For that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better" p. 1 l. 20-23. He did not like the imperial government because of how the lower class citizens were treated. "In a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters." p. 2 l. 4-5. Even though he is against the empire he is still afraid of what empire or government that will supplant it. When the main character heard about the elephant he brought his old .44 Winchester rifle which he knew...
Words: 574 - Pages: 3
...themes from George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant. Peer Pressure, peer pressure is when one person does something against their morals/beliefs or even wants because the people, usually a group of people, tell or expect this person to do. There are many ways to be pressured into doing something that one may not agree with, and there are many people who would push for whatever task to be done. George Orwell was an early twentieth century poet, he lived from 1903 to 1950. Orwell is most commonly known for his novel Animal Farm, which was set in 1984. As well as an established writer, Orwell also was the creator of the common terms such as, “big brother,” and “newspeak.” One of Orwell’s essays called Shooting...
Words: 820 - Pages: 4
...Imperialism Affects the Oppressed as Well as the Oppressor Hidden within a great book come many different messages, but one important example in George Orwell's Shooting the Elephant shows imperialism affects the oppressed as well as the oppressor. Because it is an immoral relationship of power, it compels the oppressor to act immorally to keep up appearances that he is right. George Orwell realizes that the British Raj which he serves is "an unbreakable tyranny" (Orwell, paragraph 2) yet despises the people he oppresses for allowing him to do so. On the one hand he is regarded as a wise ruler, but on the other he knows he is wrong in what he does but must behave in such a way to disguise this. There have been many situations like this throughout history, where a person or group of people have to go against what they feel is moral, or right, in order to gain respect and/or power. I feel like it happens all too often in the world today and even throughout the past. People’s ideas about right and wrong generally reflect their own selfish interests or the interests of the group they belong to. Groups with conflicting interests often have different ideas about right and wrong, and these differences can escalate into power struggles. When the struggle for power is not restrained by laws or morals, then whichever group gains power will usually try to further its own interests at the expense of everyone else. The powerless and oppressed can try to resist, but unless they can...
Words: 925 - Pages: 4
...After reading “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, the narrator has conveyed multiple tones and attitudes throughout the story especially towards different people, and scenarios. George Orwell’s direct tone that he has towards his surroundings and predicaments with the British is pure hatred, frustration, and even sadness. The diction that Orwell uses to convey these tones are simple words or phrases such as, “evil,” “dirty work,” “guilt,” and most importantly the harsh word, “hatred.” This essay will include Orwell’s diction to share his attitude and tone with the British, his surroundings, and the implications from his tone. Orwell is an authority figure that works for the British empire. While working for the British he developed a certain hatred for the empire, what they stand for, and what his job consists of.“I had already made up my mind that imperialism is an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better.” (Orwell 24). Imperialism is when a higher force; the British in this case, is taking control or more control with military force. Orwell does not agree with imperialism and honestly hates it. With this hatred for the empire, he serves he has developed a negative mindset and a tone that seems a bit depressing in a way. “Feelings like these are the normal byproducts of imperialism; ask any...
Words: 1525 - Pages: 7
...This autobiographical story is a metaphor for British imperialism and its end. The events in the story clearly points out this metaphor. The huge and mad elephant that went on rampaging across the town represents the mighty Britain that had gone on controlling different nations across the world. The several bullets that Orwell shot to kill the elephant symbolises the several uprisings caused by the nations in order to gain their freedom and independence. And lastly, the slow death of the elephant that’d eventually loses its life indicates the slow destruction of Britain rule that’ll eventually lead to its complete loss of power and control. George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”, narrated the story of him shooting a “must” elephant when he...
Words: 732 - Pages: 3
