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He Was Dead From The Start Rhetorical Devices

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He was Dead from the Start Throughout paragraph 7, George Orwell uses metaphor, imagery, and paradox to shape a shift in consciousness of the speaker. As Orwell begins the paragraph, the speaker knew that he “ought not to shoot him.” Orwell utilizes imagery to allow the reader to picture the “immense” crowd following him. Hyperbole is applied to engage the reader, there may not have been 2000 people, but the reader certainly feels “the sea of yellow faces.” Orwell was drowning in their excitement. The metaphor comparing Orwell to a conjuror and the simile comparing the Burmans to a crowd watching such conjuror add to the underlying message of the harm filled imperialistic society they all lived in. Orwell was about to perform a trick, …show more content…

Wrong. Orwell compares the white man to the leading actor, the role he is supposed to play is predetermined by his skin color, but Orwell comes to realize that he is nothing more than “an absurd puppet,” controlled by the “yellow faces behind.” His tone becomes increasingly pessimistic as he gains the knowledge of the true futility of his role. The grand paradox is stated: “When the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom he destroys.” This paradox contains everything a reader could ask for: it relates to any reader who has ever been in a position of authority, and it makes whatever they think and makes them rethink everything. With this paradox, the reader takes a deep breath and realizes that as soon as he sent for the gun, the elephant's life was over. Since the white man’s position in society is one that must be upheld, Orwell is force to do what the crowd wants. “He wears a mask and his face grows to fit it.” This metaphor explains how when you put on your uniform, outside forces control your will. You are not free to make your own decisions once you control the fate of so many other people. He is nothing, his role is superficial. All of these intense emotions are raging though Orwell, and the reader feels every one because of the vast imagery throughout the passage. We know the exact moment when his mond shifts, when he realized he had no choice to begin

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