Shooting An Elephant Dichotomy

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There are many history books that discuss British Imperialism. However, I have not come across many writings on personal experiences during that period. In “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell discusses his involvement with Imperialism. Orwell served as a European police officer in Burma during the time of Imperialism. In his writing of “Shooting an Elephant” Orwell describes an incident of an elephant on the loose, and what he had to do to control the situation. Orwell was successful in conveying his experience due to his use of dichotomy, imagery, and cause and effect.
George Orwell writes with a strong use of Dichotomy. Essentially, the definition of dichotomy is a contrast between two things that are entirely opposite. In “Shooting an Elephant” the two opposing forces were the Burmese citizens and the European authorities. During the time of British Imperialism, Orwell served as European police officer over the people of Burma. Ultimately, Orwell and the British people were powerful and the Burmese citizens were …show more content…

“It was a very poor quarter, a labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts, thatched palm-leaf, winding all over steep hillside”(Orwell 785). In this quote Orwell describes a village quarter in which he was passing while searching for an escaped elephant. One can certainly picture the homes built from bamboo and thatched palm-leaf, and the placement of the huts on the steep hill. Similarly, the imagery used by Orwell to describe the throng of Burmese citizens who came to watch the excitement of capturing the escaped elephant was fantastic. “The crowd grew very still, and a deep, low, happy sigh, as of people who see the theatre curtain go up at last, breathed from innumerable throats”(Orwell 788). In this quote, Orwell describes to the reader the excitement the crowd felt. This description allows the reader to visualize the anticipation exuding the Burmese

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