George Orwell Shooting An Elephant
Shooting An Elephant – George Orwell
Orwell begins his essay by describing the intense hatred of the Burmese for their European masters. In Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people, the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me. Europeans were spit at, jeered at, and insulted. As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.
I feel his sympathies were on the side of the Burmese, and against the British. The British represent the industrial west with its strict command structure and its empirical dominance. The Burmese represent a powerless pre-industrial society ruled by a modern superpower looking beyond its own borders to …show more content…
Being an officer means exercising and upholding the authority. His decision to shoot the elephant ultimately reflects what Orwell classifies as most important: “And my whole life . . . was one long struggle not to be laughed at”. Although killing the elephant when it was harmlessly grazing like a cow, was something Orwell did not wish to do. He eventually fell to the pressure of the people. Not only did he base his actions on the fear of being laughed at, but he also acted upon his desire for respect from those watching and all of those who would hear about the “sahib” who saved Moulmein. Orwell’s statement, “In the end I could not stand it any longer and went away”, truly shows that he couldn’t even bear to watch the elephant die its slow death as he was forced to leave the scene. The things he witnessed and put himself through laid the foundation for what Orwell believed in and how he acted. Orwell’s value and character where truly demonstrate through his final argument in which he debates on whether to be active or passive. Each decision has an effect and Orwell conceded by what consequence he thought was less likely to affect
Orwell begins his essay by describing the intense hatred of the Burmese for their European masters. In Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people, the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me. Europeans were spit at, jeered at, and insulted. As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.
I feel his sympathies were on the side of the Burmese, and against the British. The British represent the industrial west with its strict command structure and its empirical dominance. The Burmese represent a powerless pre-industrial society ruled by a modern superpower looking beyond its own borders to …show more content…
Being an officer means exercising and upholding the authority. His decision to shoot the elephant ultimately reflects what Orwell classifies as most important: “And my whole life . . . was one long struggle not to be laughed at”. Although killing the elephant when it was harmlessly grazing like a cow, was something Orwell did not wish to do. He eventually fell to the pressure of the people. Not only did he base his actions on the fear of being laughed at, but he also acted upon his desire for respect from those watching and all of those who would hear about the “sahib” who saved Moulmein. Orwell’s statement, “In the end I could not stand it any longer and went away”, truly shows that he couldn’t even bear to watch the elephant die its slow death as he was forced to leave the scene. The things he witnessed and put himself through laid the foundation for what Orwell believed in and how he acted. Orwell’s value and character where truly demonstrate through his final argument in which he debates on whether to be active or passive. Each decision has an effect and Orwell conceded by what consequence he thought was less likely to affect