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Shooting An Elephant

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During the early nineteen hundred, George Orwell published his short story ‘Shooting an Elephant’. In the beginning of this story Orwell states his anger and hatred towards the British Imperialism, even though he is a British police officer. He also states his hatred toward the “evil-spirited little beasts,” the Burmese people. As the story goes on, Orwell uses an impeccable way of writing. Swiftly switching the tone between narration and his personal experience and opinions into the story. For example, when he adds in his personal commentary on whether or not to shoot the elephant. Using tone shifts, the peer pressure of the colonization and moral dilemma, Orwell was able to write a story that was both thought-provoking and highly emotional. …show more content…

All 5 of those rounds, he felt the power of the rifle, the excitement of the Burma’s. But when the elephant finally hit the ground, he was still breathing. And Orwell’s moral dilemma approached him. He stood by the elephant, feeling uneasy, regret from shooting this magnificent animal. “It seems dreadful to see the great beast lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, and not even to be able to finish him.” (pg. 301). Here, in this statement, he felt the pain, the mistake he had made. He’d shot the great beast, not out of self defense but out of self gain among the village. Out of peer pressure from the Burma’s. Orwell unloaded shot after shot with his small rifle to try and finish him. He could not bare the dilemma he was feeling. He knew he was in the wrong for shooting the elephant and watching it slowly die, hearing him breathe only made it worse. Was his gain of respect amongst the Burma’s worth the agonizing feeling of regret? In the end Orwell walks away. He later finds that he did not gain the respect of all the Burma’s like he’d hoped. The older men agreed with his actions and the younger men did not. Orwell still felt a bit of relief. If it wasn’t for the elephant killing the coolie to justify his actions, then every bit of killing that animal would have been to not look like a

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