30/10/11 ‘Shooting an Elephant’ Rebecca Bonner 2. Choose an essay which puts across a strong personal belief in a clear and convincing manor. George Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant‚’ is an essay which takes place in imperial Burma where he is a police officer working on behalf of the British Empire. He is resented by the people who pressures him into shooting an elephant‚ where he describes himself as being a meaningless puppet in front of the Burmese crowd. Throughout this essay he also
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a controversial topic‚ did George Orwell want to assassinate the elephant? George Orwell was a sub-divisional police officer in Burma that was hated by the Burmese because of his association with the British. Despite several claims‚ George Orwell actually opposed imperialism and its rules‚ yet his actions have muddled several and have caused them to think otherwise. One day‚ he is notified that an elephant had broken free from its chains in a rage of “must”. The elephant had caused havoc‚ destroyed
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understanding of how a person from a different background see things. Unfortunately‚ in “Shooting an Elephant” the Burmese perspective was limited being that they were happy for an elephant to die for immediate satisfaction‚ ignoring that the Elephant is a symbolism for power and dignity within their culture “However‚ the white man and enforcer of imperialism was able to experience what it feels like to be oppressed. Orwell‚ being a man of privilege‚ aware of how “evil” imperialism is going against his personal
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reading the essay “Shooting an Elephant”‚ it gives away many symbols and a very important life lesson. The essay has many symbols‚ but three stick out like a sore thumb. These include the gun‚ the Burmese people‚ and the elephant. A main symbol that is easily noticed is the gun he uses. A small powerful rifle against a huge elephant. Orwell even noted “an old .44 Winchester and much too small to kill an elephant” (324). The gun isn’t mad to kill a giant beast like this elephant. It was all he had
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character Orwell was a sub-divisional police officer. One day there was a rampaging circus elephant going through the town‚ and Orwell went with his old .44 Winchester so he could go scare it away. During the elephants rampage throughout the town it destroyed a hut‚ killed a cow and raided some fruit stalls. Later on they realized the elephant trampled a man to death and that’s when Orwell went and got an elephant rifle from a friend because he thought it was needed at the moment. Orwell tracked down
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In the passage‚ Shooting an Elephant a hated police officer killed an elephant. Orwell was asked to come and do something about an elephant ravaging a bazaar. On his way‚ he ran into Various Burman’s that told him what the elephant was doing. He figured that is was not anything to serious‚ the elephant would eventually calm down. The elephant was heated. The night before it had broken out of its chain and escaped. The elephant’s mahout was the only one who can manage it but he was about twelve hours
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Reaction to shooting an elephant This time tables are turned for Orwell. In A hanging Orwell was the oppressor but in shooting an elephant I felt that Orwell was oppressed by the Burmese people as he mentions that "In Moulmein‚ in lower Burma‚ I was hated by large numbers of people" and he emphasizes on that fact by adding "As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so" and was also oppressed by the empire as he was forced to do a job that he doesn’t
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Critical Analysis of "Shooting an Elephant" In George Orwell’s essay "Shooting an Elephant‚" the author’s character develops from the pressure to make a decision and the horrifying results which follow. A potential existed for Orwell to display confidence and high morals‚ but this potential was destroyed when he pulled the trigger. The death of the elephant signifies the weakness of Orwell’s character. Orwell is ashamed to had submitted to the pressure of the Burmans‚ but he does so at his own
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Shooting an Elephant Summary: Set during the early 1900’s‚ the narrator recount his experiences as an English police officer stationed in Burma. He often describes that the British presence there were greatly despised and that he himself has been a target multiple times by the Burmese people. “As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.” (229) Being there to do the dirty work of the British empire‚ the narrator gets to see what imperialism really
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strategies of „Shooting an Elephant” “Shooting an Elephant” was written by George Orwell‚ and it describes an incident he experienced during the time he spent in a small town in India‚ as a police officer serving the British Empire. I found the writing interesting because of Orwell’s use of rhetorical strategies that slowly build up to the conclusion of the story‚ along with the peak of the action. The story ends in a detailed description of an anecdote Orwell thought of while shooting the elephant that was
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