As the essay continues, the narrator's mental state becomes more apparent, and the audience becomes drawn to his emotional appeal. Orwell's experience as a British policeman in Burma provides him with all credibility necessary in writing this piece. .
Orwell's greatest tool is his use of imagery to strengthen and further his argument. Orwell describes the native Burmese people, who have been gathering behind him at the scene of this dramatic event, as a "sea of yellow faces above the garish clothes-face all happy and excited over this bit of fun; all certain that the elephant was going to be shot" (Orwell). This imagery of an immense crowd swirling and stirring like a sea would before a storm, depicts the sense of power these actually defenseless natives had over Orwell and his mental state. As the essay proceeds, Orwell is overwhelmed by an unparalleled force pressuring him to shoot the elephant. "[He] could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly" (Orwell). As Orwell's attempts to conclude upon the strenuous question of whether or not to take the life of this elephant, he comes to the realization of the power of the "white man in the East." .
Orwell demonstrates this by acknowledging himself as being this ever-powerful "white man" whom is actually "an absurd puppet pushed to a fro by the will of those yellow faces" Although Orwell is the "white man" in this situation, with gun in hand, he feels as if he is now the one who is oppressed. Orwell is now the puppet to whom the Burmese people are the puppeteers, he is now forever at the whim of their approval. He already painted this image of the elephant's death in the minds of the Burmese people, to come this far and not finish the task would be utter humiliation. Orwell's illustrates this idea of puppetry to demonstrate the irony of the "white man's burden.
