Shooting An Elephant

844 Words2 Pages

Just Be Yourself (Three Messages from Elephant and Sale) The author of Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell, included different types of irony in his text. Not only did he use verbal irony, which is saying something that contradicts with one means or believes, but he also used situational irony which occurs when something happens that contradicts the expectations of characters, readers, or audience. Doris Lessing, the author of No Witchcraft for Sale did the same thing as Orwell. Both of these authors created this technique and made it so the reader wanted to continue getting into the text. They both wanted to create a general message to the reader that would make them rethink the way they live life and the way they see things. There were three main messages from Shooting an Elephant and No Witchcraft for Sale. First of all, a main message from Elephant, was that people care too much about what others think of them. In the text, the man was hated by a lot of people, and he wanted to make it so they would respect …show more content…

The difference between both these stories, was that in Elephant, the man gave into peer pressure, while in No Witchcraft for Sale, he didn’t give in. The people who read Orwell’s story Elephant realized that he went against his will, and it kind of opened up people’s eyes about how we might do that on the daily, but we just don’t realize it. In Sale, we saw that the man who didn’t give away his information was very inspirational, because he knew that he could say no, and didn’t have to share something that he didn’t want to. On the last page of the poem, he proposed, “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool. One of the most important things in this life, is that we need to do what makes us happy, and stop giving into other people trying to change our

David Sedaris Shooting An Elephant
952 Words | 2 Pages
The police officer did not want to kill the elephant; however, he did it. According to George Orwell "I often wondered whether any of the others that I had done it solely to avoid looking fool" he wanted to keep his power and position, he wanted to fulfill the native Indians' expectations, but he lost his moral values. Similarly, David Sedaris wanted to learn the French language that is why he chose to leave his own country and culture. It was so difficult for him to adjust to a different culture, but he tried his best. He wanted to learn a new language, so he had to sacrifice some freedom to fulfill his goal. I think people sacrifices something to go fulfill their dreams. I would like to share one of my memories that remains me one of my own sacrifices. After receiving my high school diploma, I wanted to go to the best university in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, I lived in a small town; therefore, if I wanted to get admission to a good academic school, I had to leave my family, my own bedroom, and my all belongings. It is not possible to have all the things together in anyone's life. However, it is our duty to make the right decision at the right time. In George Orwell's essay, I totally disagree with the police officer's thoughts. He knew that he was wrong, but he killed the elephant to fulfill others'
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Geroge Orwell
1876 Words | 4 Pages
Orwell, George. “Shooting an Elephant.” Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays. Ed. Sonia Orwell. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1950. 3-12.
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Shooting an Elephant and The Man Who Would Be King
2534 Words | 6 Pages
The 1800’s staged the universal dissemination and climax of British imperialism, thereby destructing and reconstructing the world into a new order. It is ordinary to depict the British as overindulgent consumerists, and the natives as magnanimous servers of the Empire, though history suggests that imperialism was not a mere black and white affair. It is certain that imperialism unjustly exhausted global resources and is therefore deserving of its condemnation. Yet, actual experiences of the time, as told by British men propel the reader to reevaluate the role of British moral authority during colonial times. The Man Who Would Be King (1888) by Rudyard Kipling and Shooting An Elephant (1936) by George Orwell are two such commentaries on imperialism in British India. The former is a novelette, narrated by a newspaper man and tells the journey of two determined Englishmen (Carnehan and Dravot) from inconspicuous “loafers” in India to godlike kings in Kafiristan. The latter recounts the story of a young British officer (Orwell), who served as a police to the Indian Imperial Police in Lower Burma. Kipling and Orwell narrate similar overarching themes such as the injustice of British imperialism and its inflicted misery both on the conquered and on the conqueror. Their motives and reactions to imperialism, however, are highly varied given their external conflicts with the Empire and the natives also vary. These stories by Orwell and Kipling conclude as symbolic mockeries of imperialism and its ultimate failure, thereby portraying the mixed elements of British nationalism during imperialism.
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Shooting An Elephant Analysis
801 Words | 2 Pages
The essay “Shooting an Elephant,” was written by George Orwell. Orwell was a British author best known for his essays and novels. In “Shooting an Elephant,” the title essay of his 1950 collection, Orwell is a British Police Officer in Lower Burma. After an elephant comes rampaging through the village in must, killing an Indian man, Orwell is looked upon to take care of the problem. The intense scene causes Orwell to make a crucial decision, reflecting on the vicious imperialism with the military in Burma during this time. The author portrays his feelings through the theme of the narrative with feelings such as, guilt, hate, and pressured.
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Shooting an Elephant
422 Words | 1 Pages
A police officer in the British Raj, the supposedly 'unbreakable'; ruling force, was afraid. With his gun aimed at a 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 story, 'Shooting an Elephant';. To save face, he shrugged it off as his desire to 'avoid looking the fool'; (George Orwell, 283). 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.
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Eric A. Blair's Shooting An Elephant
301 Words | 1 Pages
There are two examples in the text “Shooting An Elephant,” where the protagonist Eric A. Blair’s role as an oppressor changed into the oppressed. Due to life complications, he is forced to join the tyrannical Imperial civil services. The tasks given to him with his place as an officer led people to view him as an oppressor. As Eric states his perception,“I was hated by large numbers of people...The wretched prisoner huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the gray, cowed faces of the long-term convicts the scarred buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos…” Eric is contradicted by his own consciousness, supporting the Burmese, but being a part of their oppressors. His guilt does not allow him to feel free, therefore leading
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Personal Narrative: Shooting An Elephant
317 Words | 1 Pages
In “Shooting an Elephant,” the main character, a “foreigner” in another country, who is hated by the native people. When put on the spot, when everyone was interested in him for once. He caves and does what everyone expects of him. I believe everyone, at one time or another has felt this way. I felt this way in middle school. The shortest, shyest, and slowest person in the grade, me. I don’t think my peers hated me, but I wasn’t the most popular person of whom everyone knew. I constantly felt pressured by my parents to get the perfect grades. I caved into the pressure and worked harder to get the good grades they wanted. Even though I had good enough grades to pass and feel good about, mainly high “B’s,” a couple “C’s,” and one “A.” Even though
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Similarities Between Shooting An Elephant And George Orwell
1121 Words | 3 Pages
When he finial find the elephant Orwell say “I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him.” But when he lays his eyes on the crowd he changes his stance to “but I did not want to shoot the elephant.”(Orwell 199). He felt guilty for shooting the elephant when he describe that the elephant worth more alive than dead, but despite the many reason not to shoot the elephant, he took a shot. Orwell describes “when I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick …I fired again into the same spot…I fired a third time. That was the shot that did it for him.”(199) the shooting of the elephant represent the Burma people trying to stay alive and over powering by the
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Shooting An Elephant
1197 Words | 3 Pages
Orwell portrays this pitch perfectly by putting his character in a very tight situation where he must choose between sparing the life of an innocent animal and risking his reputation in the process, or taking the life of this innocent creature and maintaining the authority of his office and the respect of the villagers. In either circumstance, there is an even mix of consequences and benefits in the character’s balance. He’s torn because he knows that what the elephant did wasn’t something that made up who the elephant was. The elephant had gone into a must and had had a panic attack that could not be brought under control without the expertise of his master. This was not something the elephant wanted to, but the villagers didn’t know this.
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Shooting An Elephant Analysis
829 Words | 2 Pages
Imperialism is the main idea in "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell. Upon first read, it may be unknown how the story represents imperialism, but with some background information it becomes clear. Eric Blair, pen name George Orwell, was employed by the indian police as an assistant superintendent in Burma in 1922 through empirical rule; which is what “shooting an Elephant” is based on. Out of all his successful writings, “Shooting an Elephant” was the story where he took a stance against imperialism and everything that he has worked his whole life. During this time, they had taken over many countries seeing it as the “white man’s burden” to civilize non- european people. George Orwell shows his opposition to to imperialism in “shooting an elephant” by using an elephant to represent one side of imperialism and the british soldiers to represent the other half. All of which is evil.
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Conflict In Shooting An Elephant
784 Words | 2 Pages
He describes, “I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro” (60). He is dealing with the internal conflicts of who he should align with: himself, the British, or the Burmese. If he were to acknowledge his beliefs and align with himself, he could be the start of an uprise. Surely, others would follow. He even confirms his “thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny” and says, “Ask any Anglo-Indian official, if you catch him off duty,” referring to the hatred of the English empire (58). By expressing his dislike for the British, Orwell is finally attempting to stand up for his beliefs. The fact that his character is unable to execute his beliefs, though, highlights him trying to not look foolish in the presence of others. Clearly, he is in an unbearable circle of self-deprecation and doubt. By the end of the narrative, Orwell’s character regrets his decision to shoot the elephant. This ultimately represents Orwell’s uncertainty as he goes through life. He, like all of us, is struggling to predict which path is the best for him to go down as he ventures through his existence. Because of this, his actions for shooting the elephant are justified. He is just trying to accomplish all that he can while simultaneously dealing with his own questions of identity. This allows Orwell to be seen as a humble individual who is just trying
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Pride and Power in George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" and "A Hanging"
986 Words | 2 Pages
Every writer has that one special quirk that keeps readers coming back for more. Whether it is the humor or the characters, most authors carry their quirks from story to story. In “Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell describes his experience of shooting an elephant. In “A Hanging,” he describes the emotions that run through him as he watches the hanging of a prisoner. Both essays have similar key ideas that identify Orwell as a writer. The results of pride and power contribute to the themes that connect his essays and identify Orwell as a descriptive writer.
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George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Imperialism
837 Words | 2 Pages
The symbolic story in the Shooting an Elephant is an attack towards imperialism. Orwell presents the ironic truth that imperialism benefits neither the imperialist nor the countries they colonize. It is perhaps sad to see that men were once willing to buy in to the fraudulent and ephemeral glory that imperialism have offered. Hopefully, men have learned their lessons and no other animal will be sacrificed for men's greed.
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Shooting An Elephant Symbolism
1271 Words | 3 Pages
Generally, as a human being, one makes unintentional choices that have long-lasting effects. In "Shooting an Elephant," by George Orwell, the author narrates an experience of his life when he has to choose the lesser of two evils. The story takes place during the five miserable years Orwell spends in Burma as a British police officer. Although Orwell repudiates his circumstance in life he has to kill an elephant, an invaluable work animal, to save his honor. The despondent young officer Orwell lives in mental isolation. Also, Orwell feels repugnance to the British imperialism and the Burmese as well as his job.   In his essay, Orwell uses the rifle, Orwell himself, and the elephant as symbols to represent several
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Critical Analysis of Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell
848 Words | 2 Pages
Morally, I think this story clearly states that people would do anything to avoid being embarrassed. From my understanding, I think that this story teaches us that we should be open to hear people?s opinions but we should follow our instincts. We should not allow others to make the decisions for us. The police officers just shoot the elephant because people wanted him to do so. This essay is trying to help us to see that we should look at the pros and cons of an issue rather than making a quick decision that can affect someone. I cannot condemn the author for shooting the elephant, though he knew it was wrong. Nor can I condemn him for giving in to the natives and not sticking to his guns. He does not want to appear foolish to others like all of us do.
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Shooting An Elephant

David Sedaris Shooting An Elephant

Geroge Orwell