George Orwell Shooting An Elephant

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The oppression of third world countries in the 1930's were slightly known in Britain, but it was unfortunate that not many people actually acknowledged it. Knowing this, in George Orwell’s essay, “Shooting an Elephant ”, first published by literary magazine in 1936, attempts a negative effects of British imperialism, by informing the reader of the very great situation. In his essay, he writes not just about his personal experience about the elephant but also he heavily criticizes the concept of British colonization which makes people on both sides of the issue very uncomfortable. Through an incident that he experiences, he successfully demonstrates how imperialism affects more than just the people that gather but also the ones who govern and why their real motives that is shifted.
He immediately starts the essay by …show more content…
He argues that it is evil and he is sufficiently against the oppressors, the British. At the time in Burma, he is a British police officer, he feels a certain hatred and guilt himself, his empire, and the “evil-spirited little beasts” (602), the Burma people. Following his first experience of hatred and guilt towards himself, he states “I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him.” However, when he noticed thousand of people behind him, he changes his mind to “…but I did not want to shoot the elephant”(605). He repeatedly states how guilty it is to shoot the elephant. The reasons that he did not shoot the elephant, how it is worth more alive rather than dead, and yet he ultimately falls into the anticipation of the Burma people. Against his belief decides to kill the elephant.
Orwell uses the elephant as a metaphor of British Imperialism in Burma. Burma was a free kingdom until British

Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

behaviors to fit in a group. Peer pressure can make you do things you don’t want or regret it after all. In this essay I will be recounting an anecdote how peer pressure made me do things I didn’t want and how my anecdote relates to “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. As a new immigrant from Honduras with no friends, the only thing I wanted was to have friends and find someone to converse with. As you would imagine eventually I found friends but they weren’t like me. In the aspect, that they did…

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Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell is a good story that shows great aspects of the elements of a short story. All writers or authors have different stylistic choices. These stylistic choices are what form their stories. Orwell’s choices are what make him a special writer and author. George Orwell’s stylistic choices in character development, vocabulary, and theme help him create a successful short story. One of the main things that made George Orwell’s short story successful was character development…

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Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

The description used in this story is used effective, and not too much. Orwell adequately goes into depth of what is happening around him, but not too far that the reader can not understand what he is talking about. In the beginning he goes into depth on how people would skirt around the law and spit on him as well as trip him. During this time he used phrases such as “...the crowd yelled with hideous laughter.” At this part most people would be satisfied with using laughter, but by adding the hideous…

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Summary Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

Summary of “Shooting an Elephant” The narrator of “Shooting an Elephant”, George Orwell, works as a sub-divisional police officer in the British colony. He was often besieged because he was European. However, the citizens always kept their distance. Even though the townspeople loathed him, he felt that imperialism was malicious. He once stated that he was cheering for the Burmese against the British. Despite Orwell’s obvious disgust at the European’s actions, he still wanted to kill a Buddhist priest…

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George Orwell Shooting An Elephant

essay, Orwell weaves his thesis about the effects of imperialism not only on the oppressed but on the oppressors, as well. Orwell’s essay, however, is more than one person’s riveting narrative about the beginning of an awareness. “Shooting an Elephant” captures a universal experience of going against one’s own humanity at the cost of a part of that humanity. As a police office, Orwell is in conflict with the Burmese people. As a police officer whose job is to protect and serve the people, Orwell is in…

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

George Orwell’s, “Shooting an Elephant” is a well written essay that clearly portrays Orwell’s attitude toward himself and his position in Burma. In the first two paragraphs specifically, George Orwell uses various forms and methods of writing strategies in an effort to achieve this. Diction, usage of irony, and the usage of qualifications are all techniques that Orwell included and designed in an effort to convey his feelings for himself and his position in Burma. George Orwell used diction to…

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Summary Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

experience in Burma gave him insight on the effects imperialism: revealing the true nature of human cruelty. In Orwell short piece Shooting an Elephant, Orwell succumbs to the pressure around him and shoots the elephant in front of a crowd. Orwell’s afterthoughts about the situation were bitter and he claims to have only shot the elephant to save his face. The faceoff between Orwell and the elephant is similar to the climax in Nineteen Eighty-Four where O’Brien taunts Winston with his fear of rats in Room…

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Examples Of Foreshadowing In Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

Swayed by both British and Burmese forces, Orwell developed ambivalent feelings toward both groups. Pitying the Burmese, who were controlled by the British, yet angered for having to endure continuous harassment by the natives. And being forced to support the British in their efforts of imperialism, yet secretly feeling opposition towards their cause. In “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, these feelings toward both groups were conveyed through the use of derogatory diction, irony, antithesis…

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George Orwell Shooting The Elephant Analysis

The parallelism between the elephant and the British Empire is quite symbolic of the fall of imperialism. Orwell draws a connection between the two using two predominant aspects: physical traits and impacts on Burma. The elephant is a colossal being within the animal kingdom and by using it, Orwell seeks to highlight the scale of the British Empire (Tyner 262). The size is a symbol of power as it is known that an elephant is unstoppable. Apart from similarities in structural and physical qualities…

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Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell Analysis

Despite Orwell not wanting to shoot the elephant, then he suddenly realizes that he will be humiliated and laughed at by the all people in the area, if he chooses to not shoot the elephant. Therefore he makes the unethical choice of shooting the elephant. After Orwell shoots the elephant three times with his elephant rifle, and the elephant in pain, does not die. Orwell shoots the two remaining shots he had left straight into the elephant’s heart. He sends someone to get his original small rifle…

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