Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell - 727 Words

George Orwell is an internationally acclaimed author that has been praised for his awareness of social injustice and opposition to totalitarianism. Although in his later life he realized some of his previous misdeeds when Orwell was a young man he served as a police officer in a British controlled Burma. The Burmese people at the time were rightfully scornful towards the Europeans; this includes the young Orwell. The time that Orwell spent in Burma was not all wasted, as it inspired him to come up with a story that questions human morality. Orwell wrote the short story â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† based on the experiences that he had when he was a young police officer in Burma. Orwell likely waited around a decade or so to write this story†¦show more content†¦Orwell wrote this to show the effects that imperialism has on those being conquered and oppressed, as well as those who live under the empire. Later on in â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† Orwell finds himself in a situation where he has hunted down the elephant that killed a coolie. After finding the elephant a crowd of Burmese citizens has gathered to watch Orwell kill the elephant, as he brought a rifle with him to defend himself. Orwell started to feel pressured by the natives to kill the elephant, as the crowd watching him were anticipating him shooting it. At this point Orwell had a decision to make; does he kill the elephant to appease the crowd, or does he leave it alone because it is minding its own business? He eventually kills the elephant to appease the crowd, but it makes one wonder, did Orwell have a choice in the matter? Did the social pressure make Orwell do it, or did he consider it a part of his duty? I think that the social pressure is what made Orwell shoot the elephant. With a crowd of two thousand natives that Orwell was trying to appease (and possibly impress), he felt that the only way out was to sh oot the elephant. The story tells us what can happen when someone feels cornered due to the entrapments of social pressure. If I was in Orwells place I think that I would have shot the elephant as well. Sure, in my right mind I would not shoot the elephant; but one has to consider the situation at hand. Being surrounded by twoShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 941 Words   |  4 PagesKylie Murphy Professor Wilson WR 122 5 February 2015 Analysis Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   George Orwell’s  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Shooting an Elephant† is a story about the experience of the narrator who was asked to shoot a wild elephant. He was a police officer who worked for British imperialists and killing the elephant would help him receive good judgement from the villagers in Burma. Orwell says that imperialism is evil and should be eliminated while others think that it is good for the public. The purpose of Orwell’s storyRead MoreAnalysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell988 Words   |  4 PagesEric Arthur Blair, or commonly known as George Orwell, is the author of many compositions. Blair, the author of two of the most famous novels of the 1920s; Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, was born in Eastern Indian. He joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma but resigned in 1927 to become a writer (BBC). Orwell’s style of writing can be described as bold and vivid. He puts the truth in his writing. Orwell’s novel, â€Å"Shooting an Elephant,† was published in 1936. In the novel, a colonial policemanRead MoreAn Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell1147 Words   |  5 Pageswhere he is hated and pressured by a large number of people. George Orwell had made up his mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner he chucked up his job and got out of it the better. As for his believe, â€Å"he was theoretically and secretly all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.† In the short story, â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†, George Orwell is face with an incident that leads him to shoot the elephant at the end of the story. Trough out the story he is faced withRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1272 Words   |  6 PagesRhetorical Analysis of George Orwell’s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† George Orwell, a journalist and an author of 1903 through 1950, is not only the author of â€Å"Shooting an Elephant,† but surprisingly, he is also the narrator and the main character. Orwell’s narrative essay of 1936 takes place in squalid, British-occupied Moulmein, lower Burma. To begin, in the opening of his piece, Orwell describes himself as a young, British police officer who, ironically, despises the British imperial project in BurmaRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Orwell Shooting An Elephant 1189 Words   |  5 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant†: Effect of Imperialism in Burma Imperialism is a state of mind, fueled by the arrogance of superiority that could be adopted by any nation irrespective of its geographical location in the world. 1. Evidence of the existence of empires dates back to the dawn of written history in Egypt and in Mesopotamia, where local leaders extended their realms by conquering other states and holding them, when possible, in a state of subjection and semiRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1010 Words   |  5 Pagesforced to make can have long-lasting effects on them.†¯In Shooting an Elephant, by George Orwell, the author goes back to a situation in his life when he was a young adult where he had to make a choice between evil deeds. Many years later, the decision still haunted him. It takes place back when Orwell was a British police officer in Burma. He reevaluates his situation in life when he encounters a moral dilemma; to kill or save an elephant. Orwell is a confused and unhappy young policeman who lives inRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1265 Words   |  6 Pages  Shooting an Elephant is an essay by George Orwell, first published in the literary magazine New Writing in the autumn of 1936 and broadcast by the BBC Home Service on October 12, 1948. The essay describes the experience of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot an aggressive elephant while working as a police officer in Burma. Because the locals expect him to do the job, he does so against his better judgment, his anguish increased by the elephant s slow and painfulRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 951 Words   |  4 Pagesthe iron first, does not necessarily rule. In George Orwell’s â€Å"Shooting An Elephant,† the narrator clearly illustrates that power, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. He implicates that power is an illusion of the oppress, and instead held by the oppressed, which ultimately renders the holder impotent. â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† is the story of Orwell’s experience as an officer of the Imperial British government during a stint in Burma. Orwell constructs a parallel between the devastation ofRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 989 Words   |  4 PagesPride{1} Unanticipated choices one is forced to make can have long-lasting effects.{2} 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 facedRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1233 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Shooting an Elephant† â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† is about the guilt of British colonialism that George Orwell faces as a sub-divisional police officer. Based on his experiences, he has seen the real wickedness of imperialism. In â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†, Orwell displays the evil of imperialism as harsh, belligerent, and provoking. First, Orwell encounters the harshness of imperialism. Furthermore, Orwell says, â€Å" the sneering yellow faces of young men†¦ the insults hooted me when I was at a safe distance