...George Orwell's essay 'Shooting an Elephant' gives remarkable insight into the human psyche. The essay presents a powerful theme of inner conflict. Orwell feels strong inner conflict between what he believes as a human being, and what he believes and should do as an imperial police officer. The author is amazingly effective in illustrating this conflict by providing specific examples of contradictory feelings, by providing an anecdote that exemplified his feelings about his situation, and by using vivid imagery to describe his circumstances. A police officer in the British Raj, the supposedly 'unbreakable'; ruling force, was afraid. With his gun aimed at an elephant's head, he was faced with the decision to pull the trigger. That officer was George Orwell, and he writes about his experience in his short essay “Shooting an Elephant” to save face, he shrugged it off as his desire to “avoid looking the fool” (George Orwell, 77). In truth, the atmosphere of fear and pressure overwhelmed him. His inner struggle over the guilt of being involved in the subjugation of a people added to this strain, and he made a decision he would later regret enough to write this story. In his essay, Orwell describes how the abuses and treatment he witnessed oppressed him with an intolerable sense of guilt, (Orwell, 72). This is not some minor pang, or nagging worry. The shame pressed down on his shoulders with an unbearable weight. He also describes the injustices in detail...
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...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...
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...Shooting an Elephant is a short story by George Orwell that details an English police officer’s experience with a disturbance in his town. Commotion is caused by an elephant rampaging through the town. As expected, this event causes great conflict for both the citizens of the town, as well as the police officer. Besides the obvious conflict of physical danger, internal conflicts arise as well. The main external conflict is the fact that a giant elephant is on the loose. Although it is supposed that the elephant is domesticated, it is still large and afraid. Describing the chaos caused by the elephant, the narrator states, “It had already destroyed somebody's bamboo hut, killed a cow and raided some fruit-stalls and devoured the stock; also it had met the municipal rubbish van and, when the driver jumped out and took to his heels, had turned the van over and inflicted violences upon it” (Orwell). Shortly after this explanation is made, it is discovered by the police officer that the giant animal has also killed an Indian by crushing him into the ground. The elephant’s presence threatens the lives of...
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...Shooting an Elephant Shooting an Elephant BY GEORGE ORWELL iIl-educated and I had had to think out my problems in the utter ~fle~~e that is imposed on every Englishman in the East. I did not even know that the British Empire is d~Irig, stiIlless did I know that it is a great de al better than the younger empires that are going to su~pi~nt it. All I knew was that I was s't\'j'ckbetween my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evilspirited 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, as something cI~n1p~d down, in saecula saeculorum, upon the will of ptoit~~tepeoples; with another part I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest's guts. Feelings like these are the normal by-products of imperialism; ask any Anglo-Indian official, lLI.r .... IN Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people - the only time in my life that I have een inlDortant LIJ'. rTAWP-lI1y\. enough for this to happen to ~e., I was sUb on!! police • I=J.CVJ øs O/~JIbF d f officer of the town, and In an almless, peny K'ln ,o ,~y ae, li f ~o C'I.. "-c. r liG Eur~pean f~fOf,but feeling was No one had the guts ralse if a Europeanvery bitter.went through the bazaarsto alone woman r{...
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...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...
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...We have different identities based on our difference of cultural, ethnic, racial and religious. These identities will affect how we see ourselves since we might have different responsibilities, job duties and backgrounds. Like inside two literature stories Shooting an Elephant and Everyday Use, Alice Walker and George Orwell both show how identity is connected to how we see ourselves in the present. In the story Shooting an Elephant, the main character is a policeman in British Burma. He received a report about a local man was death who killed by an elephant. When he arrived the place, he finds the elephant is no longer dangerous. He knows as a humanity, he shouldn’t kill the elephant since it does not cause a threat anymore. Also, “it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery, and obviously one ought not to do it if it can possibly be avoided” (George Orwell, P.818). However, as a British Burma’s policeman, he knows he need to kill the...
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...The Summary of "Shooting an Elephant" George Orwell, in the essay, narrated the whole process of killing an outrageous elephant when he was in the post of a police officer in Burma. (One kernel that I have to mention, because it is important for proper understanding of the essay, is that he held the ambivalent feeling for the Burmese. For one thing, he extremely hated the Thyestean imperialism. Second, he was furious about the yellow-faced, evil-spirited Burmese.) One day, he was informed that an elephant which had obviously lost control under the attack of "must" was ravaging a bazaar, and there was only one felicitous thing to do--stop it at once lest more damage or injury occur. He sent for a rifle, rode on a pony and was on the way to have the elephant that had done great crabbing to public properties, even revitalization. Without much effort, George, along with a big crowd of people, found the elephant, which was peacefully eating like a cow, showing no signs or symptoms of "must." It was clear that George ought not to shoot the elephant. Instead, the mahout should be called for to take it back to the chain it was behooved to belong to. But the crowd behind just would not agree. They were gleeful and anxious to see the elephant having committed felonies get shot. If the gunshot was not fired, it would be jeering and sneering, which would definitely produce more execution than the trample of the prodigious foot...
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...Shooting an Elephant: The Death of Free Will George Orwell’s essay, Shooting an Elephant, was first published in 1936 in the autumn issue of New Writing, a London periodical. According to Adrian De Lange, Shooting an Elephant is one of Orwell’s most famous essays (Bloom 9). It cannot be established whether or not it was an actual account of something that Orwell experienced, something he witnessed or if it is solely fictitious, but is accepted that this essay was written out of Orwell’s experiences while he was a member of the Imperial India Police Force in Burma, described by Orwell as, “five boring years” (Abrahams 194). There are many apparent and some not so apparent themes in this work. The harmful results of Imperialism, prejudice, and living by your own conscience are all valid and thought provoking themes. A theme that is also valid and beneficial to examine is the dangers of isolation and alienation and how those states can manifest in dangerous, even deadly ways. Isolation and alienation can be very damaging on the human spirit. That damage can lead to actions that do irreparable harm to an individual as well as a community. In Shooting an Elephant the narrator finds himself isolated because of his role as policeman in a foreign country and by the hostility and mistrust of the Burmese citizens he must police. This isolation leads to vulnerability and weakness when faced with mob pressure. When given into, peer pressure leads to death:...
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...Elephant In “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell finds himself in a difficult situation involving an elephant. The elephant’s life depends all on one decision Orwell must make, to shoot the elephant or let him be. I agree with Orwell’s final decision to shoot the elephant for a few reasons. One reason being of the situation he was placed in from the beginning, being a figure of authority in an area of people that mostly hate you and torment you on a daily bases. He had to prove himself in front of the natives. Shooting an elephants is something that he did not want to do but was pressured by the people to do so. He says “ Here I was the white man with this gun, standing in front of the unarmed crowd-seemingly the leading actor of the piece; but in reality I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind.” He had no choice but to shoot the elephant with everyone there watching and staring at him. He felt their gaze on him and knew what he had to do. He couldn’t walk away without firing a shot at the elephant, without killing him. He was the center of attention and everyone was waiting for his next move and the only move they wanted to see was the elephant fall. Another reason, which he justifies himself, is that the elephant killed a man. Even if that man was just a Coringhee coolie, he was still a man. It was the legal and right thing to do. He couldn’t have a mad elephant running around. Granted Orwell could have gone another path like he discussed...
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...Courtney Lott Eng. 1010-110 Prof. Gore 2/10/15 Rhetorical Analysis What Is His Best Choice?? Every reader of Orwell’s narrative “Shooting An Elephant,” will have an opinion on whether Orwell is simply a coward or just conflicted on his actions and feelings in the situation. Many readers believe he is a coward; however, he was very confused about what to do with the elephant. He knew he did not want to shoot the elephant but he also knew the natives expected him to end the animal with no hesitation because the elephant took the life of a native. Orwell seems to realize this, as he is followed by almost the entire town so they could all witness the shooting. Even though the main argument is that Orwell is a coward for not wanting to shoot the elephant, he shot it mainly because the natives expected him to; therefore, Orwell is deeply conflicted on his authority and actions in this situation. Orwell states that he is “theoretically all for the Burmese and against their oppressors” (134). (Emphasis added) He secretly roots for the natives even though he is an enemy to the people. He says “theoretically” because he really despises both parties, but if he had to choose between these factions, he would choose the natives. He is an Imperial officer and is expected to be on the British side. He also believes he is “not important enough to be hated” (George Orwell, 133). He is hated by the natives because of his role...
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...George Orwell, pen name for Eric Arthur Blair, was an excellent British author who was born in India. In "Shooting an Elephant" he shows just how bad imperialism really is. Showing examples of hate, oppression, and guilt that Orwell felt and faced as an India Imperial Police Officer. Being a police officer Orwell was an easy target to hatred. The Burman people would trip him and laugh very loudly. There would be insults yelled at him and they would get badly on his nerves. Orwell hated his job very much. In "Shooting an Elephant" Orwell says "All I know was that 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." Along with all the hates Orwell...
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...The short story “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell is a narrative based on an experience that Orwell had whilst working in the territory of Burma (Myanmar), within British Raj, as an English police officer with the Indian Imperial Police. The conflict the British police officer internally struggles with is the issue of imperialism, specifically stated as an “evil thing” (Broadview, pg 1403), despite working and living within a British colony of Burma. For Orwell, his major drawback is within the fact that he does not agree with the supremacy that is held over the Burmese people. As explained “ Theoretically- and secretly, of course- I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British” (Broadview, pg 1403). Orwell repeatedly mentions evidence of British cruelty, exhibiting this is in images throughout his story, such as is the depiction of prisoners in cages. Moreover, the language employed by Orwell depicts an English colonial, in that he refers to the natives of Burma as yellow. Throughout the story, Orwell is presented with the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of imperialism through his experience of coming into contact with the elephant. He explains he did not want to shoot the elephant, but as an officer of...
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...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...
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...The short story Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell illustrates the character’s conflict as both social and internal. The character is a European officer that is disliked and abhorred by the native people of Moulmein, Burma (Orwell. 1936). Imperialism took away the rights of the the people and created fear of revolt. And for this simple fact of him working with the government, that took away their freedom, it only augments the civilians detestation for the character. The character realizes this as he has to face many difficulties with constant acts of abhorrence and torment from the people (Orwell. 1936). This social conflict influenced a battle in his mind. It made him despite the people that he worked with, it made him disgusted with the...
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...Peer Innocence (An Analysis of Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell) Pressure is a common obstacle throughout the journey of life. Whether it is stress, a big due date, or peer pressure, it is experienced nearly every day. Peer pressure is defined as getting forced into something that was not wanted by other people, friend or not. It is considered a form of bullying. In the story Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, is a personal narrative of what happened to him when he was a police officer in Burma, India. Peer pressure was what made him make the decision he did and due to that he has to live forever with the consequences. Certainly, we have all fallen to some form of peer pressure. Peer pressure can greatly influence decisions, always...
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