True Power in "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell Essay

The essay describes the experience of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot an aggressive elephant while working as a police officer in Burma. Because the locals expect him to do the job, he does so against his better judgment, his anguish increased by the elephant 's slow and painful death. The story is regarded as a metaphor for British imperialism, and for Orwell 's view that "when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys."

He demonstrates that this oppression perhaps goes deeper than the average man would imagine, noticeably hindering even the lives of the oppressors. The elephants controlling force over Orwell is compared to that of an imperialist.

In the text, Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, the theme of power, imperialism and the struggle of the British Empire are very prominent in the reading. The text is based on Orwell’s experience with the imperial police and the British Empire. George Orwell was born in Burma in 1903 and died in 1950, where his father was working at the time. Orwell was educated in his home country of England but went back to Burma after high school to work as a police officer. He worked in Burma for 5 years, from 1922- 1927. Orwell’s experiences in Burma caused him to become critical of how the British colonized and ruled other countries, which he witnessed firsthand through his work. In 1936, Orwell published Shooting

By reading George Orwell’s engaging essay “Shooting an Elephant”, imperialism and its internal effects on humanity is exposed in a stylistic and figurative penmanship. Orwell somehow finds a way to create his frightening autobiography into an enlightening essay that even contemporary people still learn about. He discusses the intolerable sense of guilt he feels throughout his whole time in Lower Burma from factors of all sorts. Stuck between two passionate flames of fury, ORwell cannot decide who he ates more- the cruel oppressors, or the beastly creatures being oppressed. His experience with the elephant and the stir of the villagers can only be explained by imperialism. He notices the eagerness in the eyes of the natives, and finally he makes

figure of a sahib” (Orwell 909). Orwell doesn’t suffer from the moral implications of killing the

Throughout the entire essay, Orwell actions as an officer are only carried out to satisfy the people in the colony. In the first line of the essay, he states his claim of hatred that is prevalent to the reader “I was hated by large numbers of people- the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me.” (1100) This statement is ironic because the condition of being hated on should not have a positive effect on a person, in some cases hatred would make the speaker

Orwell is a sad young policeman who lives in mentality being completely separate from others. He hates British imperialism, he hates Burmese

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

In George Orwell’s, “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell shoots the elephant to save face. His frame of mind in killing the elephant revolves around the pressure he feels from the group of Burmese surrounding him. The Burmese despise him, but also view him as a representative of great power being that he works for the British government. He is the solution for the crisis at hand of the Elephant killing a local coolie.

In “Shooting An Elephant”, George Orwell begins by expressing his frustrations about the British Imperial Government. Although, he is British he doesn’t feel like they are very good people. Orwell was annoyed with the actions of the Burmese community because they would always treat him badly and his oppressors would not stand up for him. There were times that Orwell felt like he was being baited and/or targeted by the Burmese people.

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell is an essay mainly describing a white British imperial police officer’s experience in Burma when he encounters a ravaging elephant while he was on duty. The story is set in the British-conquered Burma. Throughout this essay, the narrator describes his encounters with the natives and the way he feels towards them and how they they respond to the Europeans. Through the description and portrayal of imperialism the narrator attempts to convey that being a conqueror does not necessarily mean having total control, as the conquered might have control over the conqueror, but in a different way.

As the story goes on, Orwell is drawn into a chain of events that cause him to make a decision that changed his life and perspective of right and

The essay started off identifying who George Orwell was. A sub-divisional police officer of Moulmein, who developed a feeling of being anti-European towards the Burmese people. By claiming that no one is courageous enough to raise a riot against the British, Orwell basically told us how dominant the imperialist was. Even the Buddhist priests, who are well respected amongst the Burmese were being jeered by the British. Orwell furthers mentioned about the

Orwell based his short story on his own experience as a police officer in Burma and chooses to use an auto diegetic first-person narrator to tell his story. He wants to talk about his own experiences or his own inner

George Orwell works as the police subdivision of Moulmein, a city in the British colony of Burma. Because he is, like the rest of the English, a military occupier, he is hated by much of the village. Although the Burmese never carry out a complete revolt, they express their displeasure by harassing Europeans at every opportunity. He works in the management of miserable prisoners gives him a close-up view of "the dirty work of Europe" and makes him feel guilty for his role in colonialism. He has yet to understand that the British Empire is decreasing deteriorating, and will soon be replaced by even worse regimes. This conflicting mentality is typical of officers in the British Raj, he explains.