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9/06/ · In this essay, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell, comes face to face with the effects of peer pressure and imperialism. While under constant scrutiny by the people who did 20/08/ · General Studies. “Shooting an Elephant” is an essay written by George Orwell. foremost published in the journal New Writing in In this essay. the writer tells his ain 29/03/ · ‘Shooting an Elephant’ is a essay by George Orwell (), about his time as a young policeman in Burma, which was then part of the British empire. The essay
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The essay explores an apparent paradox about the behaviour of Europeans, who supposedly have the power over their colonial subjects. Orwell begins by relating some of his memories from his time as a young police officer working in Burma. Although the extent to which the essay is autobiographical has been disputed, we will refer to the narrator as Orwell himself, for ease of reference. He, like other British and European people in imperial Burma, was held in contempt by the native populace, with Burmese men tripping him up during football matches between the Europeans and Burmans, and the local Buddhist priests loudly insulting their European colonisers on the streets. Orwell tells us that these experiences instilled in him two things: it confirmed his view, which he had already formed, that imperialism was evil, but it also inspired a hatred of the enmity between the European imperialists and their native subjects.
Essay shooting an elephant course, these two things are related, essay shooting an elephant, and Orwell understands why the Buddhist priests hate living under European rule. The main story which Orwell relates takes place in Moulmein, in Lower Burma. An elephant, one of the tame elephants which the locals own and use, has given its rider or mahout the slip, and has been wreaking havoc throughout the bazaar, essay shooting an elephant. It has destroyed a hut, killed a cow, and raided some fruit stalls for food. Orwell picks up his rifle and gets essay shooting an elephant his pony to go and see what he can do. Orwell discovers that the essay shooting an elephant has just trampled a man, a coolie or native labourer, to the ground, killing him.
Orwell sends his pony away and calls essay shooting an elephant an elephant rifle which would be more effective against such a big animal. Going in search of the elephant, Orwell finds it coolly eating some grass, looking as harmless as a cow. It has calmed down, but by this point a crowd of thousands of local Burmese people has amassed, and is watching Orwell intently. So he shoots the elephant from a safe distance, marvelling at how long the animal takes to die. He acknowledges at the end of the essay that he only shot the elephant because he did not wish to look like a fool. It is about how so much of our behaviour is shaped, essay shooting an elephant, not by what we want to do, nor even by what we think is the right thing to do, but by what others will think of us.
Orwell confesses that he had spent his whole life trying to avoid being laughed at, and this is one of his key motivations when dealing with the elephant: not to invite ridicule or laughter from the Burmese people watching him. To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, essay shooting an elephant then to trail feebly away, having done nothing — no, that was impossible. The crowd would laugh at me. That would never do. Being trampled to death by the elephant might be something that Orwell could live with as it were ; but being laughed at? Unthinkable …. And from this point, Orwell extrapolates his own experience to consider the colonial experience at large: the white European may think he is in charge of his colonial subjects, but ironically — even paradoxically — the coloniser loses his own freedom when he takes it upon himself to subjugate and rule another people:.
I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib. He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it. He is the alien in their land, which helps to explain this second paradox, but the first is more elusive. However, even this paradox is perhaps explicable. He may have a gun, but they have the numbers. But he essay shooting an elephant it anyway, in an act that is purely for show, and which goes against his own will and instinct. Hmm now I make another connection here. A degree of the hypocrisy of human society. I know it is all very post-modernist to consider things from a non-human point of view, but there seems a very obvious mirroring here.
Circuses — it still goes on, tragically. Pingback: The Best George Orwell Essays Everyone Should Read — Interesting Literature. Pingback: 10 of the Best Works by George Orwell — Interesting Literature. One biographer claimed that the incident never took place and is pure fiction created to make the points you mention, essay shooting an elephant. Is there any proof that it actually happened? Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address. Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Share this: Tweet. Like this: Like Loading Robin Saikia April 5, at pm. Paul CONNOLLY March 29, at pm.
Caroline March 29, at pm. Absolutely fascinating and very though provoking. Thank you. interestingliterature March 29, at pm. Thanks, Caroline! Very kind Loading Subscribe via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. Interesting Literature. Privacy Policy. Copyright © Interesting Literature Designed by WPZOOM, essay shooting an elephant. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website.
Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, Text Explanation.
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9/06/ · In this essay, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell, comes face to face with the effects of peer pressure and imperialism. While under constant scrutiny by the people who did 29/03/ · ‘Shooting an Elephant’ is a essay by George Orwell (), about his time as a young policeman in Burma, which was then part of the British empire. The essay Orwell’s relationship to the Burmese people as described in his work “Shooting an Elephant” is one of an outsider who has empathy but little understanding of the specific cultural identities of
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