Orwell's Elephant

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George Orwell’s essay, “Shooting an Elephant,” was written as an attack on British imperialism and totalitarianism. Orwell recounts an experience of shooting an escaped elephant from his time as a policeman in Burma during the British Raj, utilizing a remorseful, reflective tone. He observes that “When the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys” (14), and that “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it” (14). Orwell is not only correct in his assertion that totalitarianism is harmful, he further explains how it is detrimental to all those that are umbrellaed under it.
The most prevalent example of tyranny harming both oppressor and oppressed in recent reading is Frederick Douglass’ piece, “Learning to Read and Write.” Douglass explains how his mistress was initially kind and tender-hearted, but being a slave owner transformed her into a monster. Having to exert the kind of cruel power that she did turned her cold and evil. She grew to fit the mask of slavery and became something she originally was not. It is in the same way which Orwell grows to fit the mask of his role as the white man in the Burmese village. He is supposed to show no fear or cowardice, so he shoots the innocent elephant. Orwell’s behavior acts as a mask of his true emotions - he clearly knew he ought not to shoot the elephant, but his role in the village meant he had to. This showcases the irony of how Orwell is the central power in the village, but crowd psychology has forced into doing something he would rather not. Douglass and Orwell, while from very different places and very different ends of the spectrum of totalitarianism, make virtually the same observation: by the end of his reign, a tyrant will be just as broken as the subjec...

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...plicitly, in the case of the bully, or implicitly, in the case of Orwell’s kill.

Works Cited

Douglass, Frederick. "Learning to Read and Write." 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Samuel S. Cohen. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. 129-34. Print.
Harms, William. "Psychopaths Are Not Neurally Equipped to Have Concern for Others." UChicago News. The University of Chicago, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. .
The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. Warner Bros., 1999. DVD.
Orwell, George. "Shooting an Elephant." 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Samuel S. Cohen. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. 284-91. Print.

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