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George Orwell Imperialism

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Imperialism must be destoryed
In George Orwell’s “shooting an Elephant”, it was clear that Orwell was trying to criticize British Empire for their tyrant imperialism. He had this thought during his action of killing an elephant, “I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” (2570) Orwell was not act on his own will. His mind is controlled by Burmese people and lost his ability to act morally. Orwell loses his freedom of act morally because he can’t show any weakness in front of those colonized people. Orwell was successful in making me feel that imperialism and colonialism makes people ill, and must be eliminated from human society.
Orwell feels a lot hatred from Burmese people. “They were watching me as they would watch a conjuror about to perform a trick. They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching.” (2569) In this paragraph, Orwell clearly states “they did not like me”. And he compare himself to a conjuror performing a trick. Burmese people ignored him as a police officer but look at him as a conjuror. Rifles suppose to represent power and authority. But Orwell described it as a magical prop he about to use to perform a trick. We can understand Burmese’s hatred toward their …show more content…

Huge contradiction and distrustful occured between this two group. Orwell criticized British’s system of imperialism. Orwell said this to British Empire “ Theoretically--- and secretly, of course--- I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British. As for the job I was doing, I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear. in a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters.” (2567) And that’s all George Orwell trying to argue in this short essay: British imperialism and colonialism must be

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In the beginning of the essay, the elephant manifests an unbending tantrum. The rampage kills a local man and destroys much of the village. Orwell, by using a tumultuous elephant destroying the village, is a reference to imperialism and its disastrous effects. Orwell writes, “He was lying on his belly with arms crucified and head sharply twisted to one side… (Most of the corpses I have seen looked devilish.)” to show how imperialism’s devastation was the opposite of the initial extension of Britain 's influence through colonization. You can see in Orwell 's writing the diction he uses such as “crucified” and “devilish” in the essay show that the religious influence of imperialism takes a large toll on the culture of the Burmese people and British officers there.

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Rhetorical Analysis: “Shooting an Elephant” Contrary to popular belief, the oppressors of imperialism lack freedom. Imperialists are usually powerful and maintain control over the native people of the land they are taking over. It is expected for someone with great power to have choices and freedoms, however, that is not necessarily the case. Sometimes power can limit or restrict the choices one makes.

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Gandhi was an incredibly influential political and spiritual leader. Despite this he was not flawless and the author George Orwell disagrees with Gandhi's morals in his sainthood. Through various rhetorical strategies and a strong tone, Orwell forms a solid argument against the ideas portrayed by Gandhi. Diction is important to note when understanding how Orwell develops his own position and criticizes Gandhi’s.

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Well known author and journalist, George Orwell, in his essay, Shooting an Elephant, describes his experiences as a Policeman in Moulmein, Burma during European Imperialism. Orwell’s purpose is to convey the ideal that what is right and what is accepted don’t always align. He adopts a remorseful tone in order to convey to the reader the weight of his actions. By looking at George Orwell’s use of imagery and figurative language, one can see his strongly conflicting opinions on Imperialism. Orwell begins his essay, Shooting an Elephant, by explaining the actions of the Burmese people and by expressing his contempt for imperialism.

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