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Literary analysis of orwell’s “shooting an elephant”
Literary analysis of orwell’s “shooting an elephant”
Literary analysis of orwell’s “shooting an elephant”
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As an opponent of political and social injustice, author George Orwell shows his disapproval for political corruption and political injustice through the display of pathos. Likewise, in “Shooting an Elephant,” readers detect George Orwell’s subjective opinions on imperialism through persuasion using pathos. Throughout the essay, the narrator uses expressions and feelings of fear, hatred, anxiety, doubt, and distress at the fact that he is in a position of no authority to inform the audience of his disapproval.
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.
In “Shooting an Elephant”, which use the first person as narration, the author tries to express the detestation to imperialism and the sympathy to Burmese people at the beginning. “I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British” (Cleghorn 92). The author
Imperialism is the state of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy. Most people suffered from the Anglo-Burmese Wars, while other people died harshly from the terrible hardships they faced. Specifically the essay, Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell explains about the oppressiveness of British Imperial rule. In order to prove his purpose, Orwell develops authority through shifts in verb tense, a reflective tone, and word choice; appeals to logic with comparisons; and establishes an emotional connection with the audience through direct reader address, colloquialisms, and imagery.
In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. gives an inside look at the racism and oppression that African American’s had to face during the early 1960’s. Not only did King portray the oppression he dealt with through his writing, but, George Orwell did as well in his story Shooting an Elephant. As shown in both readings, Martin Luther King and George Orwell had both been oppressed, but in two very different ways. King discusses the oppression that had spread throughout the USA created by racist, white America, while Orwell dealt with oppression by the Burmese because he had been apart of Britain’s imperial law enforcement. The difference between King and Orwell is that King had been oppressed because something he could not change,
“with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing -- no, that was impossible. The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at"(Orwell 299). However, Orwell eventually shoots the elephant so that he does not look like a
“Shooting an elephant” and “A modest proposal” are two essays where expresses Orwell’s feelings directly, while Swift presents his feelings through a projector (one who forms schemes or designs) whose attitude is cold and unsympathetic. To begin with, there were be a comparison between the following essays: “Shooting an elephant” and “A modest proposal” and a summary of both essays. During the 1800’s, Great Britain fought several wars against Burma (Myanmar); hoping to secure a better trade route with China. In addition, Myanmar won their independence in 1948. On the other hand, “A Modest proposal” grows out of Swift’s furious indignation, his disgust with English oppression, and Irish corruption and stupidity.
Burmese’ interest pushes him to shoot the elephant in order to prove himself. Third, when the British police office sees the elephant in the paddy fields, he doesn’t want to shoot it. But the Burmese crowd behind him force him to shoot the elephant. Violating the crowd’s expectation leads them to laugh at him if he has the rifle but not kill the elephant. He thinks that “my whole life, every white man’s life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laugh at” because white man needs to impress the natives so that they can easily control the natives by meeting natives’ expectations (Orwell 3).
There are numerous themes in this short story such as British imperialism and colonial resentment however the most prominent theme in this story is fear of humiliation and the effect peer- pressure has on an individual. The setting of Burma helps work with this theme as it provides an area for the plot to take place and develop. After marching miles to the destination of the elephant, a crowd had surrounded George Orwell and encourages Orwell to kill the elephant. George Orwell is compelled to kill the once ravaging elephant due to the fact that Orwell wants to avoid looking like a fool. George Orwell is willing to sacrifice his role of doing the right thing and fulfilling the Burmese wishes in order to save himself from
A person who is getting peer pressured to do a deed, is often most likely to commit it. This is often because the person doesn't want to seem weak, or any of those sorts, and wants to appear the opposite. People have their own reasons, and sometimes selfish, to be motivated to do something. In Orwell's "Shooting in Elephant," Orwell himself acknowledges and shows evidence of this through the instances of his self consciousness, and my own personal observations. Orwell accepts that humans have their own selfish reasons to be motivated to do an act through the fact of his self consciousness.
The narrator shooted an elephant to get attention, protesting the bad work of British. The British is blameworthy for what they did to Burma. Colonialism involves controlling political official for colonial countries, including the merger of the territory and the loss of national sovereignty. Maintaining the exploitation of the
Orwell begins his piece of writing with an extremely weak character that has been mocked and laughed at by the people of Burma. Orwell depicts his job situation in which he was “stuck”
Twentieth-century English writer George Orwell, in the nonfictional essay “Shooting an Elephant,” delves into “the real nature of imperialism – the real motives for which despotic governments act” (Orwell 149). In his essay recounting his experience as a police officer in Burma, not only does Orwell capture his anguish, ambivalence and guilt from the killing of the animal, but also effectively conveys the perils of imperialism upon both the oppressed and the oppressor through deliberate use of irony, tone, and detailed physical description. “Shooting an Elephant” is almost entirely characterized by irony – from the very beginning to the end – that reveals Orwell’s ambivalence towards the natives and hollowness of British Raj in the East,
In Orwell’s essays Shooting an Elephant and Politics and the English Language, he uses two different modes of writing to convey similar emotions. In both essays, Orwell’s emotions can be described as defiant towards the current state of the world as a socialist. In Shooting an Elephant before the incident involving the elephant, Orwell already gives his stance on British imperialism by showing the emotional discourse between him and the Burmese locals. He then uses the elephant as a metaphor for a peaceful group of people, like the Burmese, while he uses himself and the Burmese villagers as a metaphor for the British. The act of him killing the elephant as a result of the pressure from the villagers is akin to the British colonizing Burma and taking away their lives and freedom.
We all know that he shoots the elephant was because thousands of people were watching behind him and expects him to do what is ought to do. He does not shoot the elephant, the British empire would also be at loss to. Even more, he has struggled a lot not to be laughed at by the people of Burmese and in an instant, it would be a historical momentum for him if chose the elephant over his pride. The main purpose of the riffle bringing it with him was just a protection from the elephant that it might cause trouble again. But then again, it was a mistake for him to bring the rifle because people mistook it in a different way.
