English 110 12/03/13 Shooting an Elephant Essay George Orwell wrote “Shooting an Elephant” to teach readers about imperialism and its effects on not only those ruled but also those charged with maintaining order above them. Orwell’s narrator is a British colonial official stationed in Burma who is charged with keeping the local populace from rioting. The officer speaks of how he is frightened by the Burmans and even by his own people rulers. Fear is one of the ways that Orwell shows that imperialism
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George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant George Orwell writes of his experience in British-ruled India in the early twentieth century as a sub-divisional police officer in the sovereign Southeast Asia state of Burma. His essay presents a powerful theme of inner conflict. Orwell’s strong inner conflict lies between what he believes as a human being and what he should do as an imperial police officer. Orwell immediately claims his perspective on British imperialism saying that it is evil and that he
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background see things. Unfortunately‚ in “Shooting an Elephant” the Burmese perspective was limited being that they were happy for an elephant to die for immediate satisfaction‚ ignoring that the Elephant is a symbolism for power and dignity within their culture “However‚ the white man and enforcer of imperialism was able to experience what it feels like to be oppressed. Orwell‚ being a man of privilege‚ aware of how “evil” imperialism is going against his personal feelings for the interest of himself and
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Shooting an Elephant Summary: Set during the early 1900’s‚ the narrator recount his experiences as an English police officer stationed in Burma. He often describes that the British presence there were greatly despised and that he himself has been a target multiple times by the Burmese people. “As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.” (229) Being there to do the dirty work of the British empire‚ the narrator gets to see what imperialism really
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Imagine that you have everything that you could ever desire. An expensive house‚ a loving family‚ influential friends‚ and anything you could want in the world. Then one day you see something that catches your eye. Suddenly all of your waking thoughts are consumed by that item. You are always searching for it‚ wishing for it. It gets to the point where all you do is obsess and lust after the object. Finally‚ you obtain it‚ but as you look around‚ you’ve lost everything from your previously perfect
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In the story “Shooting and Elephant” by George Orwell‚ the essay is based on the authors experience with the Indian Imperial Police. The narrator had begun to question the presence of the British who were located in the Far East. Orwell was for the Burmese and against their oppressors the British. He described himself as being a “young ill-educated‚” who bitterly hated his job. I think that the narrator was writing this story to inform about how the natives hated the British as any country would
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2012 Shooting an Elephant In society‚ we are sometimes obligated to make a decision on the spot‚ without looking back or looking at any options around us. It may mean you have to make a decision for a big group or have to make a decision for yourself; in this case‚ both of those options weren’t good ones for the man who killed the elephant. In “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell narrates a story about his experience as a police officer in Burma that had killed an extreme elephant. Being
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ghed at.” Seeing as Westerners have been the perpetrators of imperialism for the past several centuries‚ it is to them that his message is directed. Purpose: Orwell’s purpose in “Shooting an Elephant” is to persuade his audience that imperialism is harmful to all parties involved. The harms of imperialism are illustrated with Orwell’s words‚ “I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” This evidences the harms of imperialism by showing
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7/26/15 ENG 101 Response Analysis The reading‚ "Shooting an Elephant" takes place in Moulmein. He starts of the story in spectacle as to why the locals have so much hatred toward the Europeans when in all reality his main goal was only to help and protect the townspeople from any hurt‚ harm or danger that may come their way. In this story‚ the police officer’s duty was to respond to a report of the death of a man who was killed by a stray elephant. Upon approaching the dead man‚ he finds the man
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“Shooting an Elephant” is an essay written by George Orwell in 1936. “Shooting an Elephant” is written chronologically and is a 1st person narrative. The tone of the essay is discomforting. The story takes place in Burma in the 1920’s. It depicts a situation in which the main character‚ a young Englishman‚ who is serving as a police officer‚ encounters a ravaging elephant while he is on duty. The anonymous narrator is a questioning colonialist that throughout the story struggles with three
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