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British Colonialism In George Orwell's 'Shooting An Elephant'

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Elephent of a Nation “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell is a story about his time as a police officer working for the British Empire in Burma. Orwell discusses his clear disapproval of the European intrusion into the country of Burma. Orwell mentions that he struggled with the fact that he empathized with the Burmese against their oppressors, yet he found himself stuck between hating the Empire and the disdain he felt towards the people he was supposed to protect. Until finally, something happened that allowed him to get a certain level of perspective on British colonialism imperialism he did not have before; he received a call that an elephant has gone “must” and his help was required. After some time tracking down the animal and talking …show more content…

This allows you to experience the country's culture while still having the feeling of back home close by. This has its benefits but also directly affects the way the culture is presented to you and also how you are viewed. Every restaurant had someone who spoke english and without ever exchanging words we were labeled as military personnel. The effect that has on you as an individual means that everything you do is looked at as a representation of the US. Most of the time this isn't a problem but when someone breaks the law it affects every military personnel in the area. Suddenly one individual's sins are placed upon everyone's shoulders, inflicting the repercussions of the guilty onto all those representing the US military. Orwell experiences this in a slightly different situation by being the one forced to act on behalf of the Empire. He is the one the set that expectation for the other police officers stationed in Burma. In Orwells essay he paints a picture of being forced to make a decision he doesn't moraley support because of the power he was to represent. This same idea works in the opposite way, I was constantly looked at not as an individual from a nation but instead I was judged by the same words that described the US. Luckily for me that wasn't always a bad thing wherever

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