An iconic figure in the world of controversial novelists, Eric Arthur Blair was known more commonly by his pen name George Orwell. He was very outspoken and blunt about his views against the tyrannical British rule and openly opposed its nature. One of the reasons why he was acclaimed as one of the best writers of the era was because of his lucid prose and the other was the aptness of his work. George Orwell wanted to target the British rule and to support the idea of a Democratic Government. In the essay ‘Shooting an Elephant’, Orwell shows the flaw in the system and how being in power has left him without any power to make his own decision at all. “When the white man turn tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys” (Orwell). The essay interests everyone as it points out the necessity of democracy which has been a widely debated issue for ages. George Orwell targeted masses all over the world through his writing because the essay was published in the magazine which was available everywhere around the Globe. Although George Orwell uses some harsh words to describe natives which undermine his argument however he explains his viewpoint through a mixture of persuasive and convincing language, a well structured essay and an anti thesis approach to show that Imperialism destroys the people and the system. In his essay, George Orwell narrates his personal experience to reach a conclusion that “when white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys”
The white man’s burden is an idea that the white men have a job to take care of the uncivilized beings and develop them to be a more socially endowed race. Their belief that they are superior to the natives is where this is rooted. This idea excused racism and portrayed it as more of a positive element in our society, rather than the destructive mechanism that it actually is. It also caused white men to truly believe that they are better than any other race out there. In “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell, the narrator’s brain is subconsciously imbedded with this notion. He claims to be opposed to imperialism and everything about it while also hating his job and the people associated with it. These two things cannot go hand in hand.
In George Orwells’s “Shooting an Elephant”, we see how the author describes how he is in a very special and difficult circumstance. The background information he gives in the story explains how he was born and raised in India, but went to school in England. Soon after, he became an officer for the English government but was stationed over in India during their imperialistic reign. Much of this information is useful to the reader in helping understand his unique situation that he finds himself in the story. Throughout the story we notice symbols such as the rifle, the elephant, and even Orwell himself that represent the British’s power over the people, the evils of imperialism, and the slow decline of the British empire.
George Orwell who wrote a narrative essay Shooting an Elephant” has a tense tone of literature towards his life. He is using a stressed tone due to peer pressure, and lack of confidence toward himself as he is an imperialist who came to protect uphold the laws. He's difficult attitude sets the scene for the story in his eyes. Throughout the story the concept of his decisions and action will be projected through the uses of diction; the write words to express his feelings.
Orwell is an unhappy young policeman who lives in mental isolation.{4} He hates British imperialism, he hates Burmese natives, and he hates his job.{5} 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.{6} 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."{7} If one is a member of a superior culture, one must not make
It is often said that people try to look for their benefits and reputation in the society, which results into “evilness”. Therefore, people start to choose easy paths to get their work done. However, people may choose the wrong path and would not recognize it because people only see their benefits. John Berger, the author of an article called “Hiroshima”, argues that evilness has increased largely that people cannot see the actual matter in the society. He shows that people know that “evil” exists. However, instead of spreading “innocence” in the society, people are spreading “evilness”. In the article “Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, he states that an elephant had gone mad and killed a man. The British officer does not want to shoot the elephant but he shot the elephant because of his reputation and his powers. Orwell argues that a people are “evil” for many centuries. However, people’s “evilness” reveal when they start to look for their benefits because of their selfishness. Berger argues that people may reveal their “evilness” under certain circumstances and Orwell would agree with Berger’s idea because he also states that people start to act selfishly when “evilness” takes over “innocence”. Orwell uses personal experience to criticize people’s intentions of “selfishness” and “evilness”, while Berger not only uses credibility to show selfishness of people but also uses emotional appeal to show people’s “evilness”.
. By the type of language and the choice of words that the author used to write his essay, it is very likely that it was written for the British people, to make them aware of the injustice and cruelty of Imperialism in the colonies. The author’s aim is to make the reader feel disturbed and uneasy by describing in detail his negative experiences in India. This rhetorical analysis explores the success of the author in portraying the negative impact that Imperialism had on those being governed under it, but also on the impact on those in power. The way Orwell used the words for describing the scene of shooting the elephant, his aim was to get the reader’s mind to understand the injustice of Britain’s rule over the natives. While Shooting an
In “Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell achieves two achievements : he shows us his personal experience and his expression while he was in Burma; he use the metaphor of the elephant to explain to describe what Burma looked like when it was under the British Imperialism. The special about this essay is that Orwell tells us a story not only to see the experience that he had in Burma; he also perfectly uses the metaphor of the elephant to give us deep information about the Imperialism. By going through this essay, we can deeply understand what he thinks in his head. He successfully uses the word choices and the sentences to express his feeling. By reading this essay, Orwell succeeds us with his mesmerizing sentences and shows us the
George Orwell is one of the most renowned writers of the twentieth century. Orwell’s essays portray different issues connected with colonial expansion. Colonialism refers to the rule of one nation over a group of people in a geographically distant land. George Orwell became a writer in 1927 and it is in his essays that he first expresses his beliefs about colonialism. In his essays”Shooting an Elephant”,
In the story “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell says, “The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly”. By him saying this it reminded me of a time I was once pressured into doing something that I really didn’t want to do. Giving into pressure whether it’s you being pressured by your peers, or even pressured by people you don’t know, you should never do something or give into doing something if it goes against what you believe in. For example when I was in about 10th grade I found myself hanging with the wrong crowd, always getting in trouble, always getting suspended, and even more. I thought these people were my friends, people I could trust, but sometimes
“He was dying very slowly and in great agony”, as described by George Orwell, in his short story, “Shooting an Elephant”(Orwell). In this story, Orwell delicately explains to his readers how society is influenced by peer pressure. The story was set in Burma in 1936 and begins with a low self-esteemed police officer just trying to get through day- to- day life. His life takes a turn when he is suddenly faced with the decision to shoot an elephant to please a crowd of spectators. Believing that his actions are wrong he shoots the elephant anyway and is rewarded with cheers and social acceptance. However, knowing in his heart that the deed was wrong he is now faced with guilt and must try to convince himself his act was warranted. George Orwell’s short story “Shooting an Elephant” is relevant in today’s society through the structure, quality, and applicability of the content in the story.
Story is about a Burma village where an elephant got loose and wreaked havoc on the town and kills a villager (a man). George Orwell is the sheriff and ultimately makes the choice to kill the elephant.
In the essay ?Shooting an Elephant? by George Orwell, the author uses metaphors to represent his feelings on imperialism, the internal conflict between his personal morals, and his duty to his country. Orwell demonstrates his perspectives and feelings about imperialism.and its effects on his duty to the white man?s reputation. He seemingly blends his opinions and subjects into one, making the style of this essay generally very simple but also keeps it strong enough to merit numerous interpretations. Orwell expresses his conflicting views regarding imperialism throughout the essay by using three examples of oppression and by deliberatly using his introspection on
George Orwell, a white British police officer in Burma, met many conflicts and setbacks when deciding if he should shoot an unruly elephant or not. These conflicts, and the power of pressure would eventually weigh down on him and put him a situation to make a life or death decision.
Due to George Orwell’s many successful works, he has remained a recognizable and respected author from his first moments of fame until now. Orwell’s novels and essays touch on aspects of government and human nature that will always remain relevant. With America’s changing values and controversial times, Orwell’s warning seem more relevant than ever and prove that with strong ideas, a novel can remain current beyond lifetimes.
In George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell choice of shooting the elephant was made due to internal pressure. The British Officer is station at Lower Burma. He hates his duty and despises the British Empire; the Officer secretly likes the Burmese. The Burmese shouted at the Officer to shoot the elephant when they saw him holding the “magical rifle,” but his moral conscience made him not want to shoot the elephant. When the Officer notice thousandths of Burmese staring at him, he felt like he must “do what the natives expect of him,“ because if he doesn’t shoot the elephant “the crowd would laugh” at him.