Shooting Imperialism: An Analysis of Shooting an Elephant
The human condition is to oppress and to be oppressed. With this condition, the symptoms accumulate power, persecution, and remorse. In George Orwell’s essay, “ Shooting an Elephant”, he depicts an on-going manichean struggle between his virtue and character. It seems obvious which side he is on, however, his actions and thoughts differ. The British Empire is known for their infamous capture of many small countries in Southeast Asia such as Burma. Their imperialism was known as “ the White man’s burden” to help cultivate underprivileged countries. Orwell described his view as, ...“already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I checked up my job and got out of it the better. 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. In the job like that you the dirty work of Empire at close quarters.” It is ironic as the Burmese seemed to carry the “burden” more than the British did. And of course with the British Empire dominating them, envy seemed to circulate their emotions.
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It destroys the “coolie” as the British destroyed the Burmese Kingdom. “ The Burmese population had no weapons and were quite helpless against it.”(Orwell, 2) “It” exhibits the imperialistic character of taking what they desire by force. “ The people said that the elephant had come suddenly upon him round the corner of the hut, caught him with its trunk, put its foot on his back and ground him into the deep and a couple of yards long.”(Orwell,2) The British had rampaged the cities of Burma to what the Burmese seemed for no apparent reason and killed their theoretical lives by conquering what was
When Orwell was describing the burmese, he wrote “ 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”. In term of pathos, he uses language in a disgusting way and makes it known that he hates and cannot stand it where he’s at. In the documentary, there’s the positive side of spreading values, prosperity and peace and in a way, imperialism. However, even though this rhetorical piece doesn’t directly relate to the documentary, this is the negative side of Imperialism and how it can impact even the oppressor. Also, in the documentary, it just talks about spreading democracy but what we are blinded to is what happens behind. When America goes into another country to spread democracy, we rarely pay attention to what happens there or what they are actually doing there. There is less care and attention to what goes on behind than compared to attention towards the surface of spreading democracy. Not only that but, also in the text, George Orwell faced continuous mockery and embarrassment in Burma and that resulted in bad suffering for him. In Burma, even as the oppressor, he faced a constant struggle to maintain his power and his authority in front of the Burmese. As a oppressor, one would expect them to have the power and be able to maintain authority in another country but in this text, there is the opposite that is very unexpected. Overall, George Orwell’s experience in Burma represented the other side of Imperialism, which was even the one governing is affected as much as the one who is getting
Orwell portrays the vengeful feelings of the Burmese people, the colonized, towards British People, the conqueror. As he has worked as a British officer in Burma, he knows how the natives feel about the British. Of course, it was obvious that the Burmese did not welcome any kind of British presence, including Orwell himself. The Occidentals were extremely mistreated, such as being jeered, and the narrator understood that anti-European feeling was very “bitter” (Orwell, 313). He needed to deal adequately with the native society, even though he was a target of bullying. For instance, he used to get ripped up on the football field, ignored by the referee and mocked by the crowd (Orwell, 313). Hence, he is a victim of the natives’ behavior. Not only is he the target of the native’s behavior, but he is also the victim of the imperial system.
When you first read “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell you may think it is a story to entertain you. However, the entire piece is a metaphor about Britain imperialism. Orwell’s views on imperialism is quickly identified when he says “For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing.” (Shooting an Elephant George Orwell) As the story progresses the police officer is given orders to find a “ravaging elephant” who was destroying the village in Burma and its people. Once the officer finds the elephant he contemplates shooting it because it looked so peaceful. In the end the officer succumbs to the peer pressure from the large crowd following him, and he
At this point, Orwell, “...had paralyzes him without knocking him down.”(5) The British army was one of the most powerful armies in the world at that time. The Burmese began to take command over their freedom. They have wounded the British army but have not penetrated them enough yet to end them. After the first bullet has entered, the crowd displayed a “devilish roar of glee”(5). This is a pure example of the Burmese’s feelings toward the British being on their land overruling them. Orwell also noted that if he were to miscalculate his aim and miss the elephant the crowd would trample, reducing him to his grinning corps. All gruesome descriptions that represent the fight that the Burmese are willing to endure for their independence.
A renowned novelist and former imperial officer of the British Raj, George Orwell, in his essay, "Shooting an Elephant" (1936), addresses the problems of Imperialism. He argues that imperializing others will force the colonists to lose their own conscience and freedom. Orwell utilizes a variety of rhetorical elements throughout his essay to help bolster his claim. Firstly, Orwell uses first person perspective to showcase his experiences in order to establish his credibility. He then uses word choice to indicate his imperialistic sentiments and emotions. Lastly, he uses imagery to portray the pressure and emotions that were elicited while shooting the elephant. The purpose of Orwell’s essay "Shooting an Elephant" is to inform and persuade the reader about the dehumanization of the natives and that imperialism constrains all those affected including those in charge. Orwell adopts a critical, subjective tone for his audience, who were anti-imperialists and scholars studying Imperialism.
The quest for power is one which has been etched into the minds of men throughout history. However, it can be said that true power is not a result of one’s actions but comes from the following one’s own beliefs without being influenced by others. This principle sets up the story for Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell. The protagonist, Orwell himself, is a sub divisional police officer in Burma, a British colony. Orwell must try to find and use his inner power when he is faced with the decision of whether or not to kill an elephant which has ravaged the Burman’s homes. The state of power established through the imperialistic backdrop show that Orwell, as a colonist, should be in control. As well, the perspective and ideas given by Orwell
In the essay, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell illustrates his experiences as a British police officer in Lower Burma, and reflects it to the nature of imperialism. Since “anti-European feeling was very bitter” due to the British Empire’s dictatorship in Burma, Orwell is being treated disrespectfully by the Burmese (12). This allows him to hate his job and the British Empire. However, the incident of shooting of an elephant gives him a “better glimpse … of the real nature of imperialism – the real motives for which despotic government act” (13). Through his life experiences as a British man, Orwell efficiently demonstrates the negative effects of imperialism on individuals and society.
Over the past four to five hundred centuries, imperialism has grown to be one of the most powerful and oppressing forces in history. Imperialism has given dominant economic empires the ability to take interest in a nation and expropriate its land, goods, and markets. Throughout world history, numerous countries have been taken advantage of due to imperialism. In the short story Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell discusses the strength of European imperialism, specifically in Lower Burma. He analyzes the effects of colonialism on not only those being colonized but also on those that are acting in favor of the imperial power. By looking at Orwell’s allegory Shooting an Elephant through a culture, race and postcolonial lense, it is suggested that the dehumanization of an inferior race is caused by the oppressor being greatly influenced by their need to have an authoritative image in the eyes of the oppressed.
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
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.
Despite his support for the Burmese, Orwell endured their overwhelming bitterness and hatred because of his British heritage: "the sneering faces . . . of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me . . got badly on my nerves" (p.3). Orwell sums up his feelings of guilt, coupled with his reaction against being hated: "All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible" (4). Although part of him saw the British Raj as tyrannical, "with another part I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest's guts" (4). Orwell rationalizes his rage saying, "Feelings like these are the normal by-products of imperialism" (4). Orwell realizes that tyrannical imperialism works against both the imperialists and the natives.
In “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell retold an occasion where he was struggling to come to a final decision of whether to shoot the elephant or not. With his final decision, the elephant finally lay dying in front of thousands of people. He said that he was forced to shoot it because the Burmese people were expecting him to do that. In addition, he also explained that he had to do it “to avoid looking like a fool” in front of the crowd (14). At first glance, one would think that it makes sense for him to kill the elephant to save his face, but that was not the case. He effectively uses this incident to demonstrate the “real nature of imperialism” (3), whereas the elephant represents the British Empire.
The glorious days of the imperial giants have passed, marking the death of the infamous and grandiose era of imperialism. George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the solider and the elephant turns this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism.
Throughout history, empires from all over world, from different time periods, have been successful in acquiring vast majority of land from powerless nations. All of this is better known as imperialism. Empires look to expand and gain capital by acquiring raw materials, land, and labor. There is benefit for the conquering nation, but the oppressed victims are often left with their physical and mental health impaired as they are constantly exposed to long work hours in harsh conditions. In George Orwell’s short essay “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell is a young sub-divisional British officer in Burma who describes his personal experience in dealing with the Burmese and the Elephant. He does this through use
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