George Orwells Essay Showing Regret for Shooting an Elephant

This story is a representation of George Orwell’s perception of British imperialism around the world. It is a firsthand account of how imperialism affects both rulers and the oppressed using a short story. The author shows how imperialism is a prison to not only the Burmese, but also the British. The message can clearly be seen though Orwell’s regret in being forced to kill an elephant. The purpose of this essay is to explain Orwell’s true message of anti-imperialism using the nature of tyranny and the British Empire as examples. The author is introduced as a police officer who is sympathetic to the Burmese people. This is not a rare feeling among off duty British police officers according to Orwell. Ironically, the people hate Orwell, because he is a police officer and a representation of the British. It is clear the Burmese don’t like Europeans. Orwell says a European woman would probably get spit on if she was alone at the markets. This hate is understa ndable, because the Burmese people were conquered. This resentment is transferred to Orwell in verbal abuse on the street and physical abuse on the football field. This is interesting because even before the elephant Orwell is conflicted with his role and his beliefs. When the elephant’s escape becomes relevant, Orwell adapts the role he is expected to play. The best description is explained by Orwell with the metaphor about a face growing to fit a mask. Orwell does what a police officer is expected to do rather than whatShow MoreRelatedEssay about Ethical Decision Making3074 Words   |  13 Pagestheir choices, no matter what the income. In George Orwells Shooting an Elephant Orwell is confronted with a situation in which the latter statement directly applies. While in Burma, working as a police officer for the British, Orwell is called upon to contain an escaped pet elephant. While searching for the animal a villager is trampled to death. The villagers become scared a nd look towards Orwell to maintain control. He sends for an elephant rifle to show the people that he does have theRead MoreDescriptive Analysis6093 Words   |  25 PagesDescriptive Analyses of the Essays and Short Stories Narration and Description THE STRATEGIES Although the narrative and descriptive essays are often given as separate assignments in composition courses, they are combined in this first section so that teachers can present expressive writing and still reserve time for the many forms of informative and argumentative writing. This choice is tricky because it confirms the folk wisdom about expressive writing and rhetorical difficulty. According to