Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell Essay

Orwell starts the story with his struggle with the Burmese people. “As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.” “In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe distance, got badly on my nerves.” The narrator is upset that he is hated just for doing his job. When he actually hated his job and

The elephant, after going wild, reentered the Burmese village and wreaked havoc on the villagers. “It destroyed somebody’s bamboo hut, killed a cow and raided some fruit-stalls and devoured the stock. It also met the municipal rubbish van, and when the driver ran out, it destroyed the van.” Afterwards, it killed a man. So, to the Burmese villagers, the elephant had to pay for the damages he caused and the life it took, even if it meant killing it. But, when Orwell came, he saw a different elephant. He saw a calm elephant whose attack of “must” was wearing off. But, the newly calm elephant did not impress the villagers at all and they had already made up their mind that the wanted to see Orwell kill it. But, there was one big problem: it was a serious matter to shoot a working

All the fuss, actions he was encouraged to make, lead back to his job he had to do, which was one he despised. Orwell’s introduction makes it very clear he doesn't not like being a police officer and especially does not like imperialism. “For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better.” (Orwell,1963,pg. 1) He wanted nothing to do with imperialism, he was all for the Burmese. He didn't believe in the cruel ways the British had forced him to act on. His words are spread among many sentences created this harsh tone. He was furious he was considered part of the imperialism. He was in the group though, and being part of this came with responsibility and standards. Orwell had to prove he was worthy and could hold up his end

As Orwell glanced at the growing crowd, he instantly perceived the common desires of the people “They were watching me as they would watch a conjurer about to perform a trick. They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all” (3).These people wanted revenge for the death of the innocent man, the meat its carcass would provide, and the amusement of witnessing the shootings “The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly” (3). Because of these collective expectations, Orwell had to appear determined, authoritative, and decisive through shooting the elephant or else his reputation and the rest of the British colonizers’ reputation would be

Orwell will be put in a circumstance that he does not want to be in. He knows deep down that shooting the elephant is wrong. It is not something he wants to do. An elephant is an expensive, huge piece of machinery and can do amazing work. In this moment of pressure of deciding what to do, Orwell wants to pretend that he doesn’t care what the natives think, but it is extremely evident that he does. However, the moment he is worried about what they think, allows these citizens power which is exactly what Orwell doesn’t want to give them. Through feeling the peer pressure of the natives, Orwell shoots the elephant, knowing that it is not the right thing to do. The reading shows this as it rea ds, “It is the condition of his rile that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the natives, and so in every crisis he has got to do what the natives expect of him. He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it. I had to shoot the elephant…with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing-no, that was impossible. The crowd would laugh at me.” Peer pressure only works because humans allow it to work through fear of getting humiliated. This statement ties right into the next theme of the

Orwell’s charitable reasoning makes it seem as though his high-born instinct may yet prevail. Unfortunately, his desire not to be humiliated by the villagers and the fact that he is more afraid of humiliation and perhaps how it might influence the local's sense of Orwell as an authoritarian figure triumphs over his humane side. It is clear that the pressure of the crowd makes Orwell feel compelled to perform a particular inhumane and illogical role. In spite of his well thought out self analysis, he cannot combat the duties that his role as an officer that he must make in order to display his authorization.The part in where Orwell describes the elephant’s physical suffering when having been shot is the most agonizing part ,and in this specific

George Orwell's essay, “Shooting an Elephant” is an essay about a significant time in Orwell's life. George Orwell who was born with the name Eric Blair was the son of an English civil servant in the British Raj as was his father. He was educated in England, but served as an imperial policeman in India for 5 years but resigned an returned to England to pursue his dream of becoming a writer, which he did successfully, becoming known for many of his works. This story in particular was written in 1936. This tells a story of a moment early in Orwell's life when his sense of injustice surfaced.

The story “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell seeks to show the audience how easily people are influenced by the expectations of others. He accomplishes this by exploring the effects of British imperialism on the people of lower Burma. Orwell acts as the narrator in this story, telling of experiences he had while working as a sub-divisional police officer in Burma. He explains how he secretly hated his job and supported the Burmese people who where being oppressed. One day, an elephant is found loose wandering around the town causing ruckus, and even killing an Indian coolie. Orwell was ordered to respond to this incident and take control of the situation with whatever means necessary. When he finally finds the elephant, he realizes that it is no longer endangering anyone, and there is no need to shoot it. However, the Burmese people soon gather around and shout excitedly, causing Orwell to change his mind and shoot the elephant to avoid humiliations. The death of the elephant is described with excruciating detail, showing how the elephant suffered as it endured a slow death. At the end, Orwell explains how neither the natives nor his fellow British police officers

He continued his writing career in his adult years and succeeded in all of his writings. George Orwell’s reason to writing the short story “Shooting an Elephant” is that he refers the story to the British population and their imperial government to show how ineffective and oppressive it is. He always uses his experience when he served the government as a police officer in Burma and talks about the government from his point of view. The main concern of the story was when the narrator was forced to shoot an elephant that killed a Burmese man because if he didn’t, he would lose face among the Burmese people.

The purpose of George Orwell’s gun was for protection. It was never intended for anything else, like to harm animals. When Orwell came across the elephant, he didn’t think anything of it, he didn’t even think to shoot it because it seemed peaceful. When he saw the thousands of people looking at him, he got nervous and felt pressured to shoot it. He felt like he was expected to shoot it. He knew that the elephant would provide food and other things for the natives, but still didn’t see why he should shoot it. If I was in Orwell’s place I wouldn’t have shot the elephant. Even if it made me look like a complete fool in front of the thousands of people, I would have felt better knowing I didn’t cause pain to such a beautiful animal. I wouldn’t even have the guts to point the gun at the elephant, because I just love animals that much.

The narrator in George Orwell’s Killing an Elephant despises his job and hates the way it makes him look. At the start of the story the narrator instantly starts complaining about his job. Telling how it got on his nerves how much the natives hated him and how they would do little things to show they don’t obey the crown like tripping the narrator in a football game. Talking about these little things shows that he cares what the natives think of him and it’s the job they see not him. He doesn’t want to be the guy who is always seen for what the British empire is and be like every other officer always trying to rob the people as he says, “For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the "natives," and

Orwell’s values were both making an impact on what his final choice was going to be when it came to shooting the elephant; although he could only choose to follow one value, and he had to choose quickly. As Orwell was a police officer, some of his believes came from the legal system.

When one goes against their moral values and makes the wrong decision, it is important to confess what has been done. Orwell confesses his guilt in killing the elephant to the readers. He has bottled up shame during his career as a police officer, and has felt that he has never been able to let it out. Finally, after giving in to what the villagers wanted of him, he caused the suffering of an elephant.

However, I also feel like this story can and should be analyzed in a Historical approach. When George Orwell wrote this story, it was several years after he was stationed in Burma, and I feel that he did this story as a way to look back and appreciate or remember what he went through at that point in his life. This essay will explore George Orwell’s trials and tribulations between his stint in Burma and his hatred for the British Colonialism.

Shooting An Elephant’s first message is about being an outcast. Orwell lived in Burma during a very bad time. Great Britain was stomping its way through rural countries, pillaging and raping in a sense, but hidden behind the word “colonizing.” Most people were spiteful towards the Brits for doing this, and understandably so. So when Orwell is placed in a country that’s in the direct line of Britain’s firing line, he’s in for a bad time. Orwell is stationed as a local police officer, a holder of the peace if you will. Being a figure of authority from another country, Orwell was not very popular. The quote “I was hated by large numbers of people.” (1319) supports this, because it was true. Orwell was absolutely outcast, and despised by the community he lived in. Orwell,