Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell Essay

Sure, you can get to know someone by memorizing their favorite color, favorite book genre, favorite parent—but how can you REALLY know someone? Do you know what their views are on reproductive rights? Are they politically oriented differently than you? How would one convey their views and philosophies, possibly to the entire public? In his short lifetime, Eric Blair, better known by his pseudonym George Orwell, divulged and spread his personal ideologies through his life choices and his narratives “Shooting an Elephant,” “Revenge is Sour,” and “Books v. Cigarettes.” In these essays, Orwell fluidly integrates personal philosophies about government, society, and the individual with personal experiences and observations to provide the reader with realistic and believable applications

Orwell’s philosophies about government were largely based off of his socialist political stance, however, A.J. Ayer writes in his autobiography, “Though he held no religious belief, there was something of a religious element in George’s socialism.” In terms of contemporary politics, “...almost as much as the abuse of power, [Orwell hated] the dishonesty and cynicism which allows its evils to be veiled.” Throughout his life, he had many jobs whether it be reporter, propagandist, corporal, or second lieutenant. These jobs helped shape his philosophies towards the government, and, in 1949, he published Nineteen Eighty-Four a book about the threat of political tyranny in the future. His first stint as a government worker was as an officer of the British Imperial Police Force in Burma. Certain situations and events arose during his time there that fostered his increasing disillusionment with British Imperialism, prompting him to resign. Orwell expresses his views on imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant,” one of his most popular works. This short essay tells the story of how he realized that though the British government had the guns and the