George Orwells Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on...

George Orwells Shooting an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and Imperialism The glorious days of the imperial giants have passed, marking the death of the infamous and grandiose era of imperialism. George Orwells essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwells story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the solider and the elephant turns this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism. The importance†¦show more content†¦The sort of convenient racism allows people to hate one another for no good reason. The elephant, along with the two thousand Burmese, plays an even more depressing role when compared to the soldier. The elephant plays the stricken, shrunken, immensely old countries that have been stormed and conquered by imperialism, while the Burmese play its helpless people.(4,1) The once great and powerful elephant is reduced to senility by the bullets, just as the countries like India are crushed by the modern technology of the imperial countries. The great beast, meaning both the elephant and the countries that it represents, becomes powerless to move and yet powerless to die under the hands of the white man.(4) The mob of Burmese people, the people of the colonized country, shows that imperialism has taken from them the confidence to defend their country. Instead of organizing to drive out imperialism, these people spit betel juice on white women to release their anger, and instead of saving an elephant that a fellow Burmese owned, they have decided to take its meat.(1) The people who are suppressed by imperialism become hateful and selfish in their struggle to survive in their dying country. Together, the officer, the Burmese, and the elephant portray imperialism as an institution that is only capable of harm. The shooting of the elephant is wrong, just as imposing imperialism is wrong. People know that imperialism isShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of George Orwells Shooting an Elephant Essay example1050 Words   |  5 PagesTechnique Analysis of ‘Shooting an elephant’ Written by George Orwell Essay by Arthur Diennet In 1936, George Orwell published his short story ‘Shooting an elephant’ in an English magazine. Since then, it has been republished dozens of times and holds a place as a definitive anti-colonial piece of literature, in an era where the British Empire was at its peak and covered almost 1/3 of the Earth’s surface. George Orwell believed that â€Å"†¦imperialism was an evil thing...† and uses much themesRead MoreShooting An Elephant By George Orwell867 Words   |  4 PagesShooting an Elephant The short story â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by George Orwell describes Orwell’s experience as a police officer of a town in the British colony of Burma. George Orwell, a military occupier in the Burmese land is much hated by the civilians. The hatred he receives from the locals makes him despise the British Empires mistreatment on the Burmese people. However, he also resents the locals in the village for revolting against him, for he is only a worker of the British Empire. â€Å"ShootingRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1798 Words   |  8 PagesShooting an Elephant by George Orwell is an essay mainly describing a white British imperial police officer’s experience in Burma when he encounters a ravaging elephant while he was on duty. The story is set in the British-conquered Burma. Throughout this essay, the narrator describes his encounters with the natives and the way he feels towards them and how they they respond to the Europeans. T hrough the description and portrayal of imperialism the narrator attempts to convey that being a conquerorRead MoreSwift, Orwell, and King: Standing against the Injustices of Their Times1795 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Jonathan Swift and Martin Luther King never compromised their principles even if it might have been practical and expedient to do so, while George Orwell admitted to having done so once, only with great reluctance and regret. At all times, King was ready to sacrifice his life for his principles and finally did so in 1968, while Orwell actually fought for his. Both of these men were in fact heroic examples of activists and intellectuals who took a stand for what they believed right