Rhetorical Analysis Of George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant

George Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant’ (Orwel, 1936) represents a number of strangers being involved in a combined encounter. The situation throughout the essay represents the unjust British occupation of Burma, the hatred towards him as a British officer and the elephant symbolising the British. The part of the text chosen clearly exemplifies how a forced duty can lead to hatred. The text chosen displays that he is forced to encounter the Burmese people yet they despise him. Although the encounter with the Burmese improves with the arrival of the elephant, Orwell still has a sense of isolation. Throughout the text Orwell questions the presence of the British in the East exploring that the encounter with the Burmese should not have took place.

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.

The consequence of imperialism is discussed in “Shooting an Elephant”; The victim of imperialism is not only the natives but also the narrator. Indeed, this essay is about the suffering and the struggling of Orwell who is torn between the Burmese’s actions and the Imperial System.

“Shooting an Elephant” is an essay written by George Orwell, who was an Assistant Superintendent in the British Indian Imperial Police in Burma from 1922 to 1927. The essay was published in 1936. Burma was occupied by the British over a period of 62 years (1823-1886) and it was directed as a province of India until it became a separate colony in 1937. In the essay, Orwell narrates the scene of the killing of an elephant in Burma and expresses the feelings that he goes through during the event. The writer’s theme is that imperialism is not an effective way of governing. It can be decoded through his

However, any power given to him through the imperialistic setting is lost, because Orwell exists as a part of a minority in Burma. With this dilemma, Orwell notices the difficulties that come with an authoritative figure in a foreign country as, “[Orwell] was hated by a large number of people- the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me.” (144) Due to this hatred, Orwell finds his job to impose order futile because the Burmese people seem to have a tighter grasp on Orwell than Orwell himself. The Burmans appear to be enforcing their power over Orwell through their majority and he experiences this when, “A nimble Burman tripped me up on the football field and the referee (another Burman) looked the other way.” (144) These acts that the Burmans commit show that power appears to exist in the hands of the Burmese majority rather than Orwell. By placing a colonist within a colony, the writer establishes the feeling that power should lie in the hand of the colonist. However, this concept is shattered because Orwell possesses no power though the colonial setting because of the fact that the Burmese appear to be in control. The lack of power present in the surroundings further enforces the fact that true power cannot come from one’s conquest or authority but only from within.

Two of Orwell’s first literary works were his essays regarding his experiences as a policeman in Burma during imperialization from Europe. These essays include “A Hanging” and “Shooting an Elephant.” In these essays, he shows his clear disagreement of oppression, even while working for the oppressors. Orwell writes

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?s extraordinary style is never displayed better than through the metaphors he uses in this essay. He expresses his conflicting views regarding imperialism through three examples of oppression: by his country, by the Burmese, and by himself on the Burmese. Oppression is shown by Orwell through the burden of servitude placed upon him by England: Orwell himself, against his will, has oppressed many. British Imperialism dominated not only Burma, but also other countries that did not belong to England. At the time it may appear, from the outside, he shows us that the officers were helping the Burmese because they too were against oppressors; however, from the inside he demonstrates that they too were trying to annex other countries. Though Orwell?s handling of this subject is detailed, in the end, he subtly condemns imperialism. Orwell finds himself in a moral predicament no different than the ones placed on the white men in the East. He justifies his actions, driven by the instigation of the Burmese. Orwell also feels forced by the natives to kill the elephant, hindering his

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.

George Orwell’s personal narrative “Shooting An Elephant” expresses the message that imperialism is wrong. He demonstrates this through his occupation as the sub divisional police officer in the essay when talking about an experience with an angry elephant. In Scott Russell Sanders personal essay “The Inheritance of Tools” he expresses the message that tradition and family are important. He demonstrates this by talking about his father’s death and the impact he made in his life. In both stories the authors use three rhetorical strategies to capture the reader's attention, which are, time, significance and persona.

Gisselle Armijos Mrs.Rosenwasser AP English Language and Composition 1/16/15 Orwell Essay Response In George Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant”, the subject is British imperialism. The birth of Orwell’s essay was during the early 1900s, when the British ruled Burma (Myanmar present day).

Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” shows his reluctance to change in the times that surround him. Orwell lived in a society that had pressures on the different classes, pressures that he recognized and despised, though he did not actively seek to change them. In the 1920s, Orwell worked as an imperial officer in the then British Territory of Burma, now Myanmar, and recognized his position of power amongst the native Burmese and how they loathed him. Orwell himself hated his job and hated the treatment of the Burmese, “Theoretically-- and secretly, of course-- I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British. As for the job I was doing, I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear,” (134). Orwell wishes to alter the politics which confine him; instead, he continues the reign of the white man. Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Rather than initiating the change he sees needs to be made, Orwell sticks to what is expected of the white men in his time, and does not work for a reshape in the politics or himself.

Through-out the entire time that Imperialism existed, imperialists have changed their grounds and strategies in imperialistic rules, but the ultimate objective has remained the same; to rule and exploit the natives. Imperialism is a state of mind, fueled by the arrogance of superiority that could be adopted by any nation irrespective of it’s geographical location in the world. “Shooting an Elephant,” is of importance because in it, lies how the incident depicts the different aspects of imperialism. In the essay the elephant and Orwell help to prove that Imperialism is a double edged knife, so to speak. The killing of the elephant is the incident that reveals that Imperialism inflicts damage on both parties in imperialistic relationships.

Orwell is a confused and unhappy young policeman who lives in mental isolation. He hates Burmese natives, British imperialism and his job. He is completely alone with his thoughts since he cannot share his idea that, "Imperialism was an evil thing" (Orwell) with his fellow people. Orwell sees the British rule as, "An unbreakable tyranny, as something clamped down. . . upon the will of prostate peoples"(Orwell) because he witnesses the punishments and imprisonments that the British give to show their dominance. Nor can he talk to the Burmese because of the "utter silence that is imposed on every Englishman in the East"(Orwell). 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"(Marks). a member of a higher culture must not share confidence, make jokes, or

In 1936, George Orwell published his short story ‘Shooting an elephant’ in an English magazine. Since then, it has been republished dozens of times and holds a place as a definitive anti-colonial piece of literature, in an era where the British Empire was at its peak and covered almost 1/3 of the Earth’s surface. George Orwell believed that “…imperialism was an evil thing...” and uses much themes, symbolism and irony to convey his strong anti-colonialist feelings.