Kelly Gonzalez September 23, 2014 ENC 1101 Shooting an Elephant Rhetorical Analysis Shooting an Elephant, written by George Orwell, depicts him as a character in the Burmese Villagers’ real life show, which is constantly ongoing. Each and every day, the villagers ridicule and demean Orwell because of his position in the imperialist army with an anti-imperialistic view. Through his use of ethos, pathos, and metaphors, he brings focus to his view and his perspective that power carries unforeseen responsibilities as well as the human tendency to put more emphasis on public image than on doing what is morally correct. Orwell is pressured into these responsibilities that he prefers not doing. He is pressured by the natives and society to do what is expected, yet he is ridiculed and teased. Orwell was expected to do something when he received the call about the elephant. He was expected to shoot the elephant when he found out it had killed a villager. He is expected to do multiple things because of his role in this society he lives in. For example, “The people expected it of me and I had got to do it. I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly.” His position as a police along with being the white …show more content…
He compares himself to an actor, a puppet, and even a magician. He, being the white man in the Burmese society means that he is under control of the natives and must do what is expected of him. When it came time for Orwell to take action towards the elephant he realized that he was surrounded by thousands of people, just standing, staring at his every movement. “They were watching me as they would watch q conjurer about to perform a trick. They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching.” The statement reflects his view towards himself at that moment, realizing that to them he and this elephant are the show for that moment in