What Is The Difference Between Shooting An Elephant And English Translation Of Cranes

The values a person possesses are instrumental to their identity as well as their thought process throughout life. Specifically, the ability to find a compromise between values is necessary for situations where conflict. In George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant and Peter H. Lee’s English translation of Cranes, characters are met with scenarios that test their values against each other. Extrapolating this theme into reality, I have personally faced situations where I catch myself between two of my values. These scenarios occur to everyone and challenge individuals to seek a desirable outcome for themselves. Consequently, some outcomes are perceived as the obvious righteous answer while others are ambiguous and left up for interpretation.
In George

Within the complex web of war, he struggles to balance his sense of duty to his country and his past friendship. Song-sam’s unexpected meeting with Tok-chae, his childhood friend, evokes fond memories of their friendship where Tok-chae plucked needles off of Song-sam when he had “got chestnut needles all over his bottom” (Lee 2). However, this brief recollection is overshadowed by the current predicament as Song-sam is tasked with escorting Tok-chae to his unavoidable execution. While working as a soldier, he “felt a sudden surge of anger” (2) and interrogates his familiar foe. Song-sam’s devotion to his duty momentarily overcomes his childhood memories causing him to feel as if an “obstruction had been removed” (2). It is not until Tok-chae expresses the hardships he experienced which led to his actions that Song-sam’s resolve begins to waiver. Tied between emotions of both resentment and empathy towards Tok-chae, Song-sam proposes they experience crane hunting one final time, a pastime they had frequently indulged in together. Ultimately, Song-sam grants Tok-chae his freedom, mirroring the boys’ decision from their youth when they released their captured crane avoiding its impending death. As Tok-chae escapes, a “couple of Tanjong cranes soared high into the clear blue autumn

Within my own experiences, I have found myself in scenarios where I was required to decide between my own well-being or a childhood friendship. For many, high school is a life changing experience due to the surge of freedom and diverse people roaming around. This reality would slowly be realized for my friend and I as we lived out our first year of high school. I had known my friend for many years in the past, attending the same school, playing soccer on the same team and hanging out all the time in our free time. There was nothing that could separate us until we received our class schedule. Without a single class together, we naturally began to drift apart. It was during this time I realized changes in his behaviour which I quickly identified his peers as the source of the problem. From the influence of his new friends, he began vaping, and indulging in other negative substances. As his friend, I asked him to stop but was met with pressure to try these activities with him. It was at this point that I realized I could either spend my time around these types of people or move on from my childhood friendship. Inevitably, my choice to drift apart from my friend allowed me to live my life how I want but let my friend fall down the wrong path. Despite the benefits to myself, I find myself wondering if there was a better choice in which I