Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell
Shooting an Elephant is one of the most famous essays by George Orwell that presents the situation of preindependence era in Burma. There are very subtle instances that act as a window for the readers into the social setup of that time. One could see that the Burmese hated the British in a pity and helpless manner.
One of the few opportunities they had to express their anger was during the soccer game where the rules of society were over ruled by the rules of the game. The psychology of the author is also an interesting one as he is against the oppressive colonial rule of the British but at the same time he says that putting a bayonet through the locals’ guts would give him a lot of pleasure. The brutal honesty of the author is a characteristic feature of his …show more content…
One particular incident that brought out this picture of imperialism is when the aouthor receives a phone call from another policeman informing that an elephant has gone ‘must’. The elephant had gone out of control after he escaped his ‘mahout’ and was causing damage to everything that was coming in its way.
Orwell reached the location and tried to collect information about the events that had occurred. There were conflicting stories told by the locals and suddenly there was a commotion because of the death of a labourer who was crushed by the elephant. After this he walks with a rifle to the area near the paddy fields where elephant was spotted last. He makes a statement which again goes to show the brutal honesty of the author’s writing that killing an elephant was akin to destroying a valuable commodity where he puts upfront the mentality of the colonial officers. He decides that he will observe the animal for some time and if there is no visible aggression he will let him be.
The events that happen after this can act as an example for understanding the expectation of the marginalized citizen of the colony. The locals had gathered around Orwell as he was observing the
One of the few opportunities they had to express their anger was during the soccer game where the rules of society were over ruled by the rules of the game. The psychology of the author is also an interesting one as he is against the oppressive colonial rule of the British but at the same time he says that putting a bayonet through the locals’ guts would give him a lot of pleasure. The brutal honesty of the author is a characteristic feature of his …show more content…
One particular incident that brought out this picture of imperialism is when the aouthor receives a phone call from another policeman informing that an elephant has gone ‘must’. The elephant had gone out of control after he escaped his ‘mahout’ and was causing damage to everything that was coming in its way.
Orwell reached the location and tried to collect information about the events that had occurred. There were conflicting stories told by the locals and suddenly there was a commotion because of the death of a labourer who was crushed by the elephant. After this he walks with a rifle to the area near the paddy fields where elephant was spotted last. He makes a statement which again goes to show the brutal honesty of the author’s writing that killing an elephant was akin to destroying a valuable commodity where he puts upfront the mentality of the colonial officers. He decides that he will observe the animal for some time and if there is no visible aggression he will let him be.
The events that happen after this can act as an example for understanding the expectation of the marginalized citizen of the colony. The locals had gathered around Orwell as he was observing the