Rhetorical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

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In the essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, George Orwell retells his experiences and feelings of being disrespected as a sub-divisional police officer in Moulmein, Burma. Early one morning, In the lower part of Burma, an elephant was reported ravaging the bazaar. As Orwell’s curiosity persuades him to go investigate the elephant, the author sees the damage that the elephant left behind. He prepares out of fear to “murder” the elephant with an elephant rifle. In doing this he excited the Burmese, who led a crowd behind Orwell, encouraging him to shoot the elephant who was now no more harmless than a cow. Orwell’s diction and actions, shows a complex tone towards the natives through his loyalties, his use of racist slurs, and his struggle with power and control. Undoubtedly, Orwell’s diction conveys a complex tone, when explaining his loyalties …show more content…

Racism is evident in the essay, he belittles the Indians, when explaining his relief of the death of the native. “And afterwards I was very glad that the coolie had been killed; it put me legally in the right and gives me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant” (Orwell, 6.) The diction that Orwell uses to describe the natives, such as “coolie”, is an offensive racist insult, which discriminates the Indians. In this quotation, he says he’s glad that the native died, because it put him in the right with the British law, thus giving little importance to the Indian’s life. Additionally, Orwell constantly uses the appearance of the natives when referring to them, “He was an Indian, a black Dravidian coolie…”(Orwell, 2.) Throughout the essay, he always mentions the natives “yellow” skin or using harsh racist terms such as coolie. He previously relates the Indian race as helpless. Orwell uses these racist slurs to belittle the natives and by doing so undermines his statement of being on the burmese

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