In George Orwell's short story Shooting an Elephant, he writes about racial prejudice and injustice. Orwell, which is the author's pen name, (his real name is Eric Arthur Blair,) is a police officer in Moulmein, lower Burma and takes place during the rainy season. Orwell is as much a victim as the people he protects and secretly loves, but because of circumstances he cannot control, he actually becomes part of the vicious cycle he abhors. The author is, "for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British" and "I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear."(1539) Orwell feels caught in the middle of this cultural struggle. He sympathizes with the oppressed people, secretly feeling that Imperialism is wrong, and yet he is treated poorly by the Burmese, since they perceive him as one of their oppressors. He comes to terms with the role he plays in this vicious cycle of oppression, as an Imperial servant, and the influence it has on him to shoot the elephant. .
The Burmese people are treated as second-class citizens in their own country. They are oppressed, by the British Empire, which has invaded their land. Being a police officer, Orwell sees first hand the brutality prisoners experience, "huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scared buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos."(1539) but like so many Europeans he feels helpless to do anything about the atrocities he witnesses. Orwell is not forced to acknowledge these atrocities until he is put into the position to shoot an elephant. After, the elephant kills a native, the Burmese people look for the elephant to be killed. While contemplating on whether to shoot the elephant or not, his motives become personal. .
The author views himself as a victim, much the same as the Burmese people he was protecting and becomes pressured into doing what he did not want to do.
George Orwell, Author of" Shooting an Elephant". ... Orwell said(" He did not want to shoot the Elephant")Orwell 136. ... Orwell had many options when he heard the Elephant had broken loose. ... Orwell knows that the Elephant needs to die, He is being pressured. ... This is Life and death and any second, when he steps forward to the elephant, The Elephant can kill Orwell. ...
"Shooting an Elephant," by George Orwell, is an essay about a British police officer in Burma who is called upon to shoot an elephant that has escaped from its owners cage. Running free, the large elephant is quite dangerous and is causing havoc in town. Throughout the story, Orwell allows the main character - as well as the reader - to contemplate things before the elephant is captured. With the elephant continuously running away from kept running away from the soldier. ... In conclusion, we find out that the elephant was eventually gunned down. ...
After reading George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant," one realizes just how ineffective an imperialistic government really is. ... Through his experience with a "renegade" elephant, Orwell is able to explain why imperialism as a political system is so flawed. ... By considering the elephant's fate, Orwell is able to show another side of Imperialism that is quite flawed and strays from its utopian ideology. Orwell is faced with the choice of having to shoot or not shoot the elephant. ... From George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant," it's e...
The short story of "Shooting an Elephant," by George Orwell, begins with the author describing his position as a police officer in Lower Burma. ... The Burmese were defenseless, as the elephant had already "destroyed someone's bamboo hut, killed a cow and raided some fruit stalls" (Orwell 1). ... The officer compared himself to "an absurd puppet" being pushed by the crowd to kill the elephant (Orwell 3). ... The officer did wonder if anyone realized he had killed the elephant "solely to avoid looking like a fool" (Orwell 4). After reading George...
Shooting an Elephant: Orwell's Insecurities Prompted the Murder of a Defenseless Animal The short story "Shooting an Elephant", by George Orwell, is a narration that subtly discusses Orwell's motives for killing an escaped elephant. ... Orwell is not motivated to kill the elephant for the safety of the public, but by his fear of his own insecurities that plague him. ... The encumbrance of the crowd establishes a relationship between Orwell's humility and his decision to kill the elephant. ... Morally, Orwell objects to the killing of the elephant, yet he is driven by his i...
Shooting an Elephant" George Orwell's classic essay "Shooting an Elephant" has a few conclusions you can draw from it. ... Orwell uses this essay to show his hatred of imperialism, but also how he hates the people of Burma. ... Orwell in this case represents the people, who are all following him, expecting him to kill the animal. Even though Orwell takes out the elephant the villagers still take cover. ... The elephant also embarrasses the British by forcing them to shoot the elephant. ...
Orwell takes great length in describing the elephant's demise. ... Orwell makes use of which of the following in paragraph 2? ... Orwell was reluctant to shoot the elephant at first because he knew the elephant was: I. no longer a danger after his bout of "must " had worn off. ... Orwell's attitude toward shooting the elephant in paragraph 6 is best described as: a. indifferent b. unnecessary c. inevitable d. enthusiastic e. ... "Shooting an Elephant"" Quiz KEY: 1. ...
In "Shooting an Elephant," the author, George Orwell contends with imperialism. ... When he faced with the issue of shooting an elephant or not, Orwell was forced to shoot the innocent elephant to satisfy the Burmese who isolated Orwell mentally. ... Everyone faces difficult decisions, even Orwell hesitated before shooting the elephant. ... The elephant which killed the coolie gives Orwell an excuse for shooting the elephant. ... "Shooting an Elephant" recorded an incident when Orwell faced an ethical dilemma and shot the elephant in order to escape from native Burmese's laughin...
"Shooting an Elephant," is illustrated through the eyes of Orwell himself while working as a British Imperial Officer during this time of British rule. ... In this essay Orwell describes the horrific killing of an elephant and the emotions and frustrations he endures while deciding the initial fate of the animal. ... Likewise, in "Shooting an Elephant," Orwell demonstrates these views by describing his own experience with political and social injustice. ... As the essay proceeds, Orwell is overwhelmed by an unparalleled force pressuring him to shoot the elephant. ... Orwell...
