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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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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George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” “Shooting an Elephant” is an essay written by George Orwell and published in 1936 (Orwell 66). Orwell was born June 25‚ 1903‚ as Eric Arthur Blair and passed away January 21‚ 1950‚ in India (“George Orwell Biography”). Orwell was known for his journals‚ novels‚ and essays published about his own political views (“George Orwell Biography”). Orwell traveled to Burma after not doing good enough in school to earn a scholarship and decided to join the imperial
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Technique 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 “…imperialism was an evil thing...” and uses much themes
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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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_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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In 1936‚ author George Orwell wrote an essay titled “Shooting an Elephant”. In the essay Orwell describes a scene of a British police officer who is stuck between having to shoot an elephant. The story takes place in Burma‚ India where then‚ they were under British imperialism. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force. It humiliates the occupied people‚ reducing them to an inferior status in their own country. Analyzing Orwell’s work
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Every white man’s life long struggle in the East was to not be laughed at‚ so the safest choice for a man like George was to live without action. However‚ when a sexually aggressive elephant gets loose Orwell is called to take action.. In the essay he writes not just about his personal experience with the elephant but how metaphorical the experience is to Imperialism and his views on the matter. Orwell’s feelings are the hostile feelings toward the British‚ Imperialism‚ and Britain’s justification
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themselves. George Orwell‚ in “Shooting an Elephant”‚ tells a story of his past when he killed an elephant in order to please the Burmese crowd. At the time‚ Orwell was a white Indian Imperial Police officer who was disliked by the country’s natives due to the fact that he was European. One day‚ he heard of an elephant’s doing of ravaging the town‚ so he ran to the scene with a rifle. When he finally arrived‚ he found himself observing a peacefully feeding elephant while a huge crowd of Burmans gathered
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