The Role Of Acceptance In Stephen Carter's The Rules About The Rules

Throughout the process of shooting the elephant, Orwell’s attitude drastically changes as he pulls the trigger and the massive beast plunges to the ground. Orwell says “When I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick-one never does when a shot goes home” (Orwell 11). This mindset tells the reader, as Orwell went to pull the trigger his mind went blank because he knew he was going to be successful at killing the elephant even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. Then the devilish roar of the elephant with glee of the crowd brought him back to real time and shows, how the cruelty brought happiness to the crowd. After the bullets hit the elephant, the tortured breathing continued to slowly annoy Orwell, as he reminded himself of why he did it.

Orwell describes the dying elephant as “stricken shrunken, old, senile” and even says that he observed the death to be “slow” and in “agony” (page 4-5). These adjectives show that orwell did not want to shoot the elephant and even felt a great amount of pity towards the elephant. He doesn’t use adjectives that would convey a meaning of the elephant deserving the death but rather uses adjectives that one would use to describe his old grandparents showing sympathy and almost like apologizing. I felt that he was in a very difficult situation as he made the decision, but i think that his decision is an acceptable one since if he back off he would have been laughed at for a very long time and would have maybe even killed by the burmese since he showed that he wasn’t

Orwell was able to catch the reader’s eye when making a point of imperialism using significance. The elephant had to do with significance a lot because it is the main reason people can tell what the point of the story is. The purpose of the narrative was clear by the end when the young men said Orwell did wrong in killing the elephant and the older men said

In “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell is a British police officer in Burma. One day when an elephant ravaged through a small village, Orwell was forced to shoot the elephant against his free will because of the pressure of “two thousand at the least” (Orwell 1101) Burmans who expected him to shoot the elephant. When he first heard of the elephant he had “no intention of shooting the elephant,” (Orwell 1101) but when the pressure of his surroundings acted on him, he found no other

Furthermore, when Orwell decided to shoot the elephant, it was a perfect example of how chaotic colonial power can be. He gave up despite his inner knowing that this was the wrong thing to do due to the pressure from the audience and his position of authority. Essentially, Orwell is attempting to convey that having power involves more than just managing others—it also involves controlling oneself. Being in a position of authority will compel you to take actions that you might not have otherwise considered. Even if you are in control, you are ultimately left helpless and

Things changed when Orwell was called to solve the issue with the elephant. By the time Orwell was called to catch the elephant the natives were very happy because that meant food for them, but Orwell wasn't very uncertain of assassinating the animal and was very indecisive. "I looked at the sea of yellow faces about the garish clothes-faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot" (p 6.) Orwell did not want to assassinate the elephant, but when he stared at all the happy faces, it made him think concomitant, of murdering the elephant. He wanted to feel important for once in his life by assassinating the animal.

Orwell is a very descriptive writer who emphasizes a different moral in every essay. He is not simply describing an elephant shooting or a hanging; he is trying to make readers listen to his messages. One of the messages that Orwell wants his readers to understand is the power that role playing has on the human mind. Orwell demonstrates this theme quite easily in both essays. Before killing the elephant, Orwell states, “I had got to shoot the elephant. I had committed myself to doing it when I sent for the rifle. A sahib has got to act like a sahib…”(Orwell: Shooting an Elephant). This statement illustrates how people with power must live up to their expectations to keep that power. He knows he has the power to kill the animal, so he makes himself fit the role of a killer. Power can affect the way people act. A modern day example of this is shown when gang members act on thoughts of the group to gain acceptance by other members. The acceptance gives them power and this is a universal idea that Orwell focuses on. Orwell also stresses power to describe human nature. Orwell likes to use this in both essays because it explains the inconsistency that humans have when power takes over. This is one of Orwell’s morals he stresses to his audience to make them realize the poor decisions people make when in power.

The reader sees a glimpse of Orwell's moral conscious when he displays his feelings of unrest at his unethical decision. He writes, "It seemed dreadful to see the great beast lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die"(526). The elephant suffers a prolonged, agonizing death because Orwell did not have a hunter's knowledge of how to kill the elephant; thus his shot penetrated the elephant in the wrong spot. As a result, the guilt grows and he "could not stand it any longer"(527) and left the site. Orwell realizes that he committed an atrocity. However he tries to defend his action. It seems that Orwell is trying to make himself feel better by justifying his wrongdoing. He

He was trying to impress these natives with the only opportunity he had to be impressive, he was the star of the show with the rifle in his hand. Killing the elephant was a choice of the people, the natives, which Orwell had let influence

Orwell abandons his morals and kills the elephant to garner the approval of the Burmans. He feels compelled to shoot the animal because the Burmans "did not like me, but with the magical rifle in

Have you ever been pressured into doing something you didn’t want to, but felt like you had no other option? The narrator in Orwell's, “Shooting an Elephant” had a very similar experience. He was pressed by the Burmese into committing a senseless killing that he did not deem necessary. This transformation of the main characters mentality and morals gives the audience a terrific example of characterization, which would not be possible without the effective use of point of view in Orwell's story.

The story, written in first person, gives insight of the narrator’s thought process. It is well conveyed that Orwell is very unhappy with his current position and is working for something he doesn’t believe in, which allows his audience to feel sympathetic to his current situation. His dilemma is clearly presented- whether he should shoot the elephant or not- which provides a universal theme of a personal battle, to choose what one believes is right, or whether to conform with society. Ultimately, this provides an emotional connection between Orwell and the reader, as they can relate to the feeling, which gives them a better understanding of the story’s main point. The shooting of the elephant itself also provokes an emotional response from the audience, as Orwell employs the element of death in a powerful and symbolic way. It is well persuaded throughout the story that he believed the elephant did not deserve to die, and the death itself is portrayed as devastating to him..” (Orwell, 5). The remorseful tone in this ending sentence exposes to the audience that just because something appears to be socially acceptable does not mean in any way that it is right for us to do, in which this case, the guilt exposed to the reader illustrates the negative consequences of social

THESIS: Although Orwell is justified, legally shooting the elephant is wrong because, the elephants “must” period was over, the way the animal was shot caused the animal to suffer, and Orwell violated his own beliefs because of peer pressure.

The first and primary reason for George Orwell shooting the elephant is simply Orwell being afraid. He was originally not intending to shoot the elephant; he merely brought the rifle for his own protection. “I had no intention of shooting the elephant – I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself if necessary – and it is always unnerving to have a crowd following you. I marched down the hill, looking and feeling a fool, with the rifle over my shoulder

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