George Orwell s The Elephant - 1608 Words

Throughout the course of the years, a variety of people such as scholars, teachers and historians have discussed a controversial topic, did George Orwell want to assassinate the elephant? George Orwell was a sub divisional police officer in Burma that acted under pressure. Despite several claims, George Orwell opposed imperialism and its rules, yet his actions have muddled several and has caused them to think otherwise. In the beginning of the story, Orwell is essentially harassed and laughed at by the Burmese because he is associated with the British. One day, he is made aware that an elephant has gone loose and has caused havoc in a small village, ruining property and killing. Orwell in this instant decide to act like a hero and asked to be handed a .44 rifle, despite the fact that he had no real intention of shooting the elephant. On his way to the location of the elephant, he was nerve wrecked because he had a huge crowd following and observing him, they were expecting something big from him. Orwell gave into peer pressure and killed the elephant to satisfy the crowd’s bloodlust. Throughout his short narrative he bluntly tells the reader that he in no way intended to kill the elephant, his only intention was to defend himself and anyone who was in possible danger. The only reason Orwell felt compelled to shoot the elephant was because he felt pressured by the people of Burma and certainly did not want to humiliate himself and endure more disdain. It is a popular humanShow MoreRelatedGeorge Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1114 Words   |  5 PagesShooting an Elephant : George Orwell Since the publication of George Orwell s, Shooting an Elephant in 1936 many philosophers have engaged in conversation about humanity, violence, politics, power, dominance, race, culture and principles. Orwell was in fact a genius plain and simple, though in a very complicated way(Firchow 94). He brings you into the essay with his lucid and vivid details the entire way through from the setting I remember that it was a cloudy, stuffy morning at the beginningRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1265 Words   |  6 Pages  Shooting an Elephant is an essay by George Orwell, first published in the literary magazine New Writing in the autumn of 1936 and broadcast by the BBC Home Service on October 12, 1948. The essay describes the experience of the English narrator, possibly Orwell himself, called upon to shoot an aggressive elephant while working as a police officer in Burma. Because the locals expect him to do the job, he does so against his better judgment, his anguish increased by the elephant s slow and painfulRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Shooting An Elephant And A Hanging 860 Words   |  4 PagesIn George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant and A Hanging. The setting of both the spots was in Burma, a nation in Asia. In A Hanging the setting was principally in a correctional facility while in Shooting an Elephant was in a Moulmein, in lower Burma where an Elephant went quiet . The Characters in A Hanging were for the most part a Hindu who was little whit no hair and obscure fluid eyes, additionally he had a thick, mustache which was humongous for his body. Additionally George OrwellRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1010 Words   |  5 Pagesmake can hav e long-lasting effects on them.†¯In Shooting an Elephant, by George Orwell, the author goes back to a situation in his life when he was a young adult where he had to make a choice between evil deeds. Many years later, the decision still haunted him. It takes place back when Orwell was a British police officer in Burma. He reevaluates his situation in life when he encounters a moral dilemma; to kill or save an elephant. Orwell is a confused and unhappy young policeman who lives in mentalRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 989 Words   |  4 PagesShooting an Elephant, by George Orwell, the author recounts an event from his life when he was about twenty years old during which he had to choose the lesser of two evils. Many years later, the episode seems to still haunt him. The story takes place at some time during the five unhappy years Orwell spends as a British police officer in Burma. He detests his situation in life, and when he is faced with a moral dilemma, a valuable work animal has to die to save his pride.{3} Orwell is an unhappyRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 953 Words   |  4 PagesThe area of focus I chose was a work from the Innocence and Experience chapter. The work of fiction that I chose to analyze is â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by George Orwell. The main question is whether what he did in the story was ethical. This story is about the inner fight between right and wrong, â€Å"if I do this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"if I do that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"what if I don’t do anything?† Bottom line is you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. We all do this in some form or fashion, we all have that inner voice tellingRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 985 Words   |  4 PagesShooting an Elephant, by George Orwell, the author recounts an event from his life when he was about twenty years old during which he had to choose the lesser of two evils. Many years later, the episode seems to still haunt him. The story takes place at some time during the five unhappy years Orwell spends as a British police officer in Burma. He detests his situation in life, and when he is faced with a moral dilemma, a valuable work animal has to die to save his pride.{3} Orwell is an unhappyRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1250 Words   |  5 Pagesthen. For example, in the essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by George Orwell, Orwell himself is working as a British police officer in Burma in the 1920’s. He does not like his job because of his hate for the oppressive nature of the British government. However, he does take the job seriously. One day, he gets a report about an elephant tearing through the town. He quickly gets his gun and rides to the scene with his horse. Once Orwell arrives, the elephant is long gone, but he sees all the damage it hasRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 2165 Words   |  9 Pagesauthor of Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell, describes his moral troubles as a police officer in Moulmein in lower Burma (known as Myanmar in the twenty-first century) when encouraged by its citizens to kill a rogue elephant in town. Orwell details how nearly every citiz en in Moulmein had a grudge against Europeans, and would, as a result, antagonize any European in the town. Orwell was a sub-divisional European police officer and had a particularly difficult time in Moulmein. Orwell explains one particularRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1490 Words   |  6 PagesShooting an Elephant by George Orwell is a story about Orwell s experience as a police officer for the British Raj in frontier Burma. The exposition digs into an inward clash that Orwell encounters in his part of representing the British Empire and maintaining the law. At the opening of the narration, Orwell state, â€Å"Theoretically—and secretly, of course—I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Orwell, 1) by doing this, he clears up that he is against the British