Abstract The present study looks at an important political essay “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. The literary critics gave the text wide recognition and appreciation. It depicts Orwell’s anti-imperialistic view which is presented through the shooting of an elephant. The theme is presented in a fantastic way and this is evident from Orwell’s use of lexis‚ syntax‚ cohesive ties‚ point of view‚ and figures of speech. A closer look at the experiences he had gone indicate that his sentiment
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_SHOOTING AN ELEPHANT BY GEORGE ORWELL:_ _Commentary_ Political‚ social & ethical issues raised in Orwell’s essay "Shooting an Elephant" create a controversial storyline in which the events metaphorically symbolize the colonial imperialism of the time. Set in Burma‚ 1936‚ the context is based around the anti-European attitudes existent post the Anglo-Burmese Wars. Orwell’s positions‚ as police officer for the despotic British governments‚ required him to hold authority over the Burmese‚ consequently
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his main purpose(s) in shooting the elephant? Both the one he uses to justify his decision and his real
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approval. George Orwell in “Shooting an elephant” and Langston Hughes in “Salvation” deal with the issue of “fitting in” in very different ways. George Orwell describes to us in “Shooting an elephant” the struggle that his character faces when to win the mobs approval and respect when he shoots down an innocent animal and sacrifices what he believes to be right. Orwell is a police officer in Moulmein‚ during the period of the British occupation of Burma. An escaped elephant gives him the opportunity
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.......George Orwell immediately begins the essay by first claiming his perspective on British Imperialism.George Orwell was “disgusted by the inhumanity of colonial rule that he witnessed while stationed in Burma” .He notes that the Burmese civilians were not allowed to own guns during his stay – a testament of British control over Burmese resources. He claims that it is evil and he is fully against the oppressors‚ the British. Though he is a British officer himself at the time in Burma‚ he feels
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the most seemingly complicated and abstract concepts. In Shooting an Elephant‚ George Orwell argues two things. One of these things is small; the other is large. However‚ both are explained by one seemingly insignificant event. The small thing is shooting an elephant‚ and the large thing is how a person’s pride often forces them to give into the pressure from others. At the surface‚ “Shooting an Elephant” is about‚ well‚ shooting an elephant. Orwell narrates the whole
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A N A LY S I S O F C O N T R A S T S I N O R W E L L ’ S “ S H O O T I N G A N ELEPHANT” “And my whole life‚ every white man’s life in the East‚ was one long struggle not to be laughed at.” At firs glance it may seem that this sentence is really not important in comparison with lots of others in the‚ in my opinion‚ insanely great and perfectly written short story‚ “Shooting an Elephant”. This sentence is later reinforced at the end‚ “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had
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There are several ideas that have been prevalent in the texts we have analyzed this year. The three texts 1984‚ Beloved‚ and Shooting an Elephant were the most connected. What brought these stories together were the endemic themes of lust for power and unempathetic control. The reigning parties in these texts all demonstrate an overindulgent need for ultimate power. Being able to place restrictions on every aspect of the oppressed peoples’ lives is what motivates the people in positions of power
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1. Orwell shoots the elephant because the two thousand native people standing behind him expect him to. They want revenge for the man it killed‚ the meat the carcass will provide‚ and the entertainment of watching the shooting. “The people expected it of me and I had got to do it” he writes. There is a suggestion that if he decided not to shoot the elephant‚ both he and the empire would suffer a loss of prestige‚ but the main concern in Orwell’s mind is the “long struggle not to be laughed at”. He
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Shooting An Elephant Questions 1)George Orwell has an extremely scornful attitude towards imperialism. He views it as a corrupt form of government. He has a strong disgust for the native people‚ as they continually harass him on a daily basis. They attempt to trip him on the soccer field‚ laugh and make fun of him. Orwell dislikes his position in Burma‚ as he frequently states that he does not like having power and ruling over a foreign people. Many times the masses of people tend to go around what
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