Shooting an Elephant

Imperialism Corrupts the Human Condition Sub-divisional police officer of Burma, India, George Orwell, in his essay, Shooting an Elephant, demonstrates the harsh events surrounding the assassination of an elephant. Orwell’s purpose is to depict the effects of peer pressure from the crowd as a British general in order to express the corruption of imperialism and his vast hatred towards it. He adopts a matter-of-fact, witty yet tense tone in order to evoke disapproval in his caucasian, European denizens

In Shooting the Elephant, Orwell discusses how peer pressure made him kill an elephant that may have not been a danger. Orwell also makes a point to criticize the passivity that many people have in the face of unfairness.

huddled in the corner in a state of shock with blood marks on his head and back. However, as I inspected the parakeets back closer, I saw that in fact the blood was flesh from the base of the wing which was missing. Similarly, like Orwell in Shooting an Elephant, I did not know what to do in the situation but I had to find a solution (pg.230). I did not have a clue how to treat an injured bird or if I should figure out first what and how the incident happened. The parakeet was bleeding heavily and

His use of ethos can also be seen throughout the essay. The quote, “ I was a sub-divisional police officer of the town...(Shooting an Elephant-Orwell)” appeals to the audiences credibility of the protagonist and his actions. Because of his job as a police officer it is explainable for him to carry a gun and to act upon what was necessary during the situation with the elephant. This plays a huge role with the message because as a police officer he must put his own decision and moral conscience aside

The short essay Shooting an elephant is based off of Orwell’s personal experiences. In the essay, Orwell starts off being quite frank with the readers by revealing some of the uglier aspects of the British Empire. He gives visuals of the jails acting as cages trapping people. He also mentions the anti-British feelings among the population. This is a layered essay; the first layer is Orwell’s story about his feeling of shooting an elephant during his time in Burma as an officer. The underlining point

occurs in “Shooting an Elephant” written by George Orwell. This story recounts the events Orwell faced during his time as an Imperial police officer in Burma, India. “Shooting an Elephant” focuses on a day where an elephant was causing mayhem in Burma. The elephant destroyed houses, food stands, and even killed a laborer while roaming the city. Orwell was called by sub-inspector, from the other side of the town, to come take care of the elephant. At the end, Orwell ends up shooting the elephant when he

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

his essay, “Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell revealed a lot about himself. Immediately Orwell explained that he served as a sub-divisional police officer in Lower Burma, surrounded by the hatred of the Burmese people because of his European background. Orwell considered the British empire an unconscionable tyranny, yet he still hated the disrespectful Burmese who torment him. The Burmese people expected Orwell to demonstrate the same authority over what was then a peaceful elephant, that the British

The short story “Shooting an Elephant”, by George Orwell, can be seen as one broad metaphor for imperialism. In the story, Orwell is direct about discussing imperialism from the narrator's point of view. But, if the reader analyzes “Shooting an Elephant” through a historical critical lens then representation of imperialism can be seen in many other aspects of the story as well. Through this lens, we can not only see the effects of imperialism on the policeman and the people of the colonized nation

show his message on social injustice. George Orwell an author born in 1903 in eastern India. George Orwell wrote many essays in order to showcase his message about social injustice. One which had the most compelling message was the essay “ shooting an elephant”. By describing his role and experience as a self divisional police officer, Orwell describes the injustice he had witnessed and sought to change. First, Orwell describes the setting in order for us to fully understand his experience. Orwell