“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell takes us through a fateful day for Orwell, the day he shot an elephant. The whole time, he believed he was in charge of the situation, but in fact he was at the mercy of the crowd. The crowd played a major role in the fate of the elephant. In “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, Orwell emphasizes how he was feeling on that day and gives us a look into his head. Orwell does this tactically to show the reader that the empire has very little true control over what happens in their colonies, in fact Orwell claims that they are just puppets to the Burmese people. The resulting shooting of the elephant by Orwell occured due to two notable psychological phenomena: Normative Social Influence and Deindividuation. …show more content…
Here George Orwell is a police officer in one of the districts of Moulmein. One day, he is told of an Elephant that has escaped from its master and is in “Must”, which is basically a testosterone fueled rampage. He tracks down the elephant and eventually shoots it many times to try and put him out of his misery, but to no avail. Later on, he is pardoned for killing the domestic elephant because it had killed a man, but the real reason he shot it is because he did not want to look like a fool in front of the “coolies”. The most main point of this essay, though it may get lost in the action, is that even though he is in a position of power he is actually at the will of the Burmese people. This essay shows how little power the British colonists had on the Burmese people in their decline as the world’s superpower. The Burmese people are really the ones in power at this point, since the British empire is “noble” and must follow their rules of how to treat the indigenous people. Because of their rules, the Burmese are able to walk over the British soldiers and officers that are actually in the midst of it all. Orwell also uses the Elephant to symbolize a view of colonialism. The elephant is like the Burmese people, they are mistreated like the elephant and are driven to be violent and
Initially, in the text Elephant, by Orwell, the speaker, who is actually a younger Orwell back when he was a policeman for England stationed in Burma, is faced with the decision to shoot an elephant that is running around like crazy, destroying everything because it is in must, or in heat. Although the elephant is destroying things, it is also a very important animal to the people of Burma, because they use it for farming, and other things. The thing that really messes Orwell up is the fact that there is peer pressure mixed into his feelings. The other police officers believe that killing the elephant is the ri...
George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is a short story that not only shows cultural divides and how they affect our actions, but also how that cultural prejudice may also affect other parties, even if, in this story, that other party may only be an elephant. Orwell shows the play for power between the Burmese and the narrator, a white British police-officer. It shows the severe prejudice between the British who had claimed Burma, and the Burmese who held a deep resentment of the British occupation. Three messages, or three themes, from Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” are prejudice, cultural divide, and power.
The quest for power is one which has been etched into the minds of men throughout history. However, it can be said that true power is not a result of one’s actions but comes from the following one’s own beliefs without being influenced by others. This principle sets up the story for Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell. The protagonist, Orwell himself, is a sub divisional police officer in Burma, a British colony. Orwell must try to find and use his inner power when he is faced with the decision of whether or not to kill an elephant which has ravaged the Burman’s homes. The state of power established through the imperialistic backdrop show that Orwell, as a colonist, should be in control. As well, the perspective and ideas given by Orwell show his true character and lessen the overall power set up for him. Lastly, the symbols shown are representations of traditional forms of power, but take on different implications in the story. In Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell uses setting, characterization and symbols to show that true power comes from following the dictates of one’s conscience.
Some two thousand Burmese were trailing right behind Police Officer Orwell, expecting to get vengeance for the man that the elephant killed. Orwell is first pressured just by their mere presence. Only a few moments pass before Orwell comes to terms with what he thinks is the best alternative as he stated, “And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly.” (327) In addition, he felt subjected to shoot the animal; the Burmese were finally supporting him, and he couldn 't give that up even if that meant doing something against his better
He said, “I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British” (296) which indicates that he pitied the Burmese. Orwell worked as a sub-divisional police officer and noticed the “dirty work of Empire at close quarters. The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups..” (Orwell 296). This demonstrates the effects of imperialism under the British Raj, which gives another reason as to why Orwell hated imperialism. Orwell states, “With one part of my mind I thought the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny” (Orwell 296). This shows that the British Raj was very harsh on the Burmese and that the civilians were viewed as helpless. The elephant stomped on a man and destroyed many things and places. The elephant would represent the British Raj since it caused chaos for the civilians, similar to how it destroyed the huts, vans, cows, and a person. When Orwell decided to keep a rifle for defense, he said that “[the Burmese] had seen the rifle and were all shouting excitedly that I was going to shoot the elephant” (Orwell 298). This shows how the Burmese want to end the elephant’s life or the British Raj and wanted Orwell to shoot it. Before Orwell shoots the elephant, he says “Here was I, the white man with his gun, standing in front of the armed native crown-- seemingly the leading actor of the piece; but in reality I was only an absurd puppet pushed to
Orwell speaks of how he is so against imperialism, but gives in to the natives by shooting the elephant to prove he is strong and to avoid humiliation. He implies that he does not want to be thought of as British, but he does not want to be thought the fool either. Orwell makes his decision to shoot the elephant appear to be reasonable but underneath it all he questions his actions just as he questions those of the British. He despised both the British Empire as well as the Burmese natives, making everything more complicated and complex. In his essy he shows us that the elephant represents imperialism; therefore, the slow destruction of the elephant must represent the slow demise of British Imperialism.
In “Shooting an Elephant” writer George Orwell illustrates the terrible episode that explains more than just the action of “shooting an elephant.” Orwell describes the scene of the killing of an elephant in Burma and reveals a number of emotions he experienced during the short, but traumatic event. Effectively, the writer uses many literary techniques to plant emotions and create tension in this scene, leading to an ironic presentation of imperialism. With each of the realistic descriptions of the observing multitude and the concrete appeal of the narrator’s pathos, Orwell thrives in persuading the audience that imperialism not only has a destructive impact on those being governed under the imperialists’ oppressive power, but also corrupts
Every day, each individual will look back on decisions he or she have made and mature from those experiences. Though it takes time to realize these choices, the morals and knowledge obtained from them are priceless. In George Orwell’s nonfictional essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, a young Orwell was stationed in Burma for the British imperial forces, tasked to deal with an elephant who destroyed various parts of the village Moulmein while its owner was away. Backed by second thoughts and a crowd of thousands, he finds himself shooting the elephant and reflecting that it was not justified; however, it was a choice pushed by his duty and the people. Written with a fusion of his young and old self’s outlook on shooting the elephant, Orwell’s essay is a sensational read that captivates his audience and leaves them questioning his decision.
Orwell, George. “Shooting an Elephant.” The Brief Arlington Reader. Ed. Nancy Perry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 334-339.
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
In George Orwell’s “To Shoot an Elephant” the reader is teleported to Southeast Asia. They are taken to a time of British take over from the perspective of a young Englishman. As a police officer for a British colony in Burma, our narrator is in charge of keeping the peace. But due to the Imperialistic nature of the British Empire, the people of Burma give Englishmen a stigma. A stigma that causes our narrator to be jeered and laughed upon by the native people causing him to in turn have a hatred towards the Burmese.
The character, himself, is part of the British rule and is supposed to have all of the power. The Burmese, though, dangle the power in front of him. He is weak and unsure of himself, stating that he “wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it” (60). The character is not able to stand up for what he believes in -- that is, not shooting the elephant. There is a back and forth struggle in his mind about whether or not the elephant needs to be killed. Orwell’s character is fully aware that it is wrong and immoral to shoot an innocent creature, but eventually secedes to the demands of the Burmese, attempting to prove his cooperation and loyalty to those watching. In a way, the Burmese represent the pressures of society. Because of this, the audience can sympathize with the main character. There are always times when we, the readers, are unsure of ourselves, but we eventually make a decision. Whether we make the decision for ourselves or are assisted by others, in the end, we must take responsibility for our own actions. In a broader sense, Orwell’s character represents the internal conflict that everyone faces: should we conform to society or should we be our own
Orwell, George. "Shooting An Elephant." An Age Like This, 1920-1940, vol. 1 of The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. ed. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. New York: Harcourt, 1968.
Orwell is an unhappy young policeman who lives in mental isolation. He hates British imperialism, he hates Burmese natives, and he hates his job. He is completely alone with his thoughts since he cannot share his idea that "imperialism was an evil thing" with his countrymen. Orwell sees the British rule as "an unbreakable tyranny, as something clamped down. . . upon the will of prostate peoples" because he observes firsthand the cruel imprisonments and whippings that the British use to enforce their control. Nor can he talk to the Burmese because of the "utter silence that is imposed on every Englishman in the East." This "utter silence" results from the reasoning behind imperialism that says, "Our cultures are different. My culture has more power than your culture. Therefore, my culture is superior in every way, and it will rule yours." If one is a member of a superior culture, one must not make jokes, share confidences, or indicate in any way that a member of the inferior culture is one's equal. A wall, invisible but impenetrable, stands between the British and the Burmese. His hatred for...
"Shooting an Elephant" is perhaps one of the most anthologized essays in the English language. It is a splendid essay and a terrific model for a theme of narration. The point of the story happens very much in our normal life, in fact everyday. People do crazy and sometimes illegal moves to get a certain group or person to finally give them respect. George Orwell describes an internal conflict between his personal morals and his duty to his country to the white man's reputation. The author's purpose is to explain the audience (who is both English and Burmese) about the kind of life he is living in Burma, about the conditions, circumstances he is facing and to tell the British Empire what he think about their imperialism and his growing displeasure for the imperial domination of British Empire.