Burma

Freedom, democracy and human rights were the ideals that Burma is lacking under the reign of the military junta led by Ne Win and his Socialist Party for fifty years. The socialist ideals have only brought fear and poverty to the people of Burma and the protests against the military government were always brutally suppressed. Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the national hero, General Aung San who was assassinated by his rival after he fought for Burmese independence from England, was filled with

independence, seen throughout Elephant Run. At the start of the novel, Nick Freestone arrives in Burma as a British national, clueless on the culture, language and lifestyle of the Burmese nationals. Those around him are instructed to “[u]se English, as [he] does not speak [the Burmese] language,” (54) and are instructed to freely answer his questions. Being a British national, Nick is unaccustomed to the weather of Burma and the physical activity associated with Burmese living and as a result, Nick “sweats

Concerning the ethnic minorities of Burma, I believe that we are in a period where carefully analyzed humanitarian input can have a successful impact. Unlike the genocide in Darfur, we’re aware of a developing situation where large-scale genocide has not taken place yet. History further lends a hand in paralleling the cordoning in society of minorities such as the Rohingya with that of the black African minorities in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Lessons gained in the events in Sudan should be considered

In order to understand some of the symbolism and metaphor of the essay, it might be helpful to first mention a little about the history of Burma. Burma was a free, independent kingdom until the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1824. A second war in 1852, followed thirty years later by a third war in 1885, eventually gained the British Empire complete control of Burma. Obviously, the Burmese people resented this enforced Imperialism, and feelings between the

the act of imperialism and colonialism of the people of Burma. While working in Burma as a soldier Orwell quickly sees how much the people hate him in that uniform, but, because he has the uniform and the power the people of Burmese obey him. But when he's faced with a problem involving an elephant he will let the people of Burmese choose for him rather than choosing the right thing to do. Orwell who is a imperial police officer in Burma talks about his experience in being face to face with imperialism

person can cause one to do an act they would not normally do. Throughout the story Orwell was pushed by the locals of Burma and the government to do a job he believed he was incapable of doing. The immense pressure and control of surrounding people can cause a man to become a tyrant and lose himself in the process such George Orwell did in “Shooting an Elephant”. Located in Lower Burma, in Moulmein, Orwell, the subdivisonal police officer of the town, is hated by most of the local Burman people and

a police officer for the British Raj in frontier Burma. The exposition digs into an inward clash that Orwell encounters in his part of representing the British Empire and maintaining the law. At the opening of the narration, Orwell state, “Theoretically—and secretly, of course—I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British…” (Orwell, 1) by doing this, he clears up that he is against the British colonial undertaking in Burma. In unequivocal terms he says that he is in favor

known as Burma switched its name to Myanmar, meaning the “fast and strong people”. Burma or Myanmar, began as individual states with several powerful monarchs, over time the British government took over. This resulted in the First Anglo-Burmese War that lasted from 1824-1826. The most respected of Myanmar’s military leaders during the war was Maha Bandula, who later died in battle. The British went on to win the war and separate Myanmar into separate colonies in favor of certain ethnicity. Burma gained

on Three Messages from George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant) George Orwell was born in colonial India but was educated in England. When Britain created and empire, Orwell had been working for the police of the British Army in the location of Burma. Orwell realized there was something wrong with certain ways of government and that their is cultural conflicts. “Convinced that human decency and common sense were the basis of a just society, the author repeatedly found himself in conflict with the

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." Orwell spent some of his life in Burma in a position akin to that of the narrator, but the degree to which his