By looking at “Shooting an Elephant,” by George Orwell, one can see that there are people all over the world that try to fit in with other social groups, which is important because people should be themselves no matter who they are with or what kind of people surround them. Although individuals argue that they do not attempt to fit into social groups, closer examination shows that the majority of people try to impress others by performing irregular actions and adapting character qualities. People from all sorts of ages try to impress other individuals, from children to teenagers to adults. Sometimes all they want is to fit in or to be better than someone else. In the story “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell talks about his point of view of imperialism. …show more content…
Several people may act a certain way towards someone or something because they know the ‘popular crowd’ is watching their every move. Sometimes, individuals disrespect someone just because they feel the need to impress someone else. Maybe someone will play a sport just because they want to show another individual that they are better. One pretends to be someone who is not who they truly are. Impressing others or trying to fit in is what Orwell did when he was going to shoot the elephant. There have been times where children show off in front of others. It may be having a candy bar or maybe even a brand new Hot Wheels car or a new Barbie doll. Having something that someone else doesn’t have tend to make people feel like they are better than the rest. People are usually more frightened at the thought of what others will think of them than being themselves. Orwell did not want to be seen as a foolish police officer in front of the thousand of people that were there to watch him. Even though people are afraid of not being accepted in society, they would be better off being the person they truly are. Adults don’t like to be made a fool, but who does? Nobody, that’s who. People from all over the world, all different ages try to fit in. Every soul was made differently for a reason and every individual should be themselves instead of being someone they are
George Orwell appeals to pathos and uses imagery to give a satirical presentation of imperialism, showing it’s negative impact on both those governed and those who govern. Throughout the entire essay, the narrator expresses various feelings of hatred, fear, anxiety, and doubt. He resents the fact that hs is in a position of authority, yet mocked. He resents that he is forced to continue his career despite the fact that he detests British imperialism.
In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. gives an inside look at the racism and oppression that African American’s had to face during the early 1960’s. Not only did King portray the oppression he dealt with through his writing, but, George Orwell did as well in his story Shooting an Elephant. As shown in both readings, Martin Luther King and George Orwell had both been oppressed, but in two very different ways. King discusses the oppression that had spread throughout the USA created by racist, white America, while Orwell dealt with oppression by the Burmese because he had been apart of Britain’s imperial law enforcement. The difference between King and Orwell is that King had been oppressed because something he could not change,
Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell Have you ever looked at something or someone and started reminiscing negative comments in your head about them? What about cared what others thought of you and tried to play hero to get them to like you? George Orwell’s essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, is a great example of this scenario. This essay secretly hid three key points that most written documents may or may not pinpoint on. It explains how you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, animals should be treated just as equal as humans, and always be yourself.
Americans today tend to believe that people often conform from a desire for security within a group—typically a group of a similar age, culture, religion, or educational status. I’ve always believed that teenagers would want to fit in with others around them. In addition, while they raely admit as much, teenagers often take for granted is being themselves. When it comes to the topic of individuality and conformity most of us will readily agree that teenagers don’t want to be different or themselves because they feel as if it’s a bad thing. “Individuality vs. Conformity: The Healthy Middle?” demonstrates that it’s human nature to fit in and be liked and our need to feel special.
Orwell conveniences the reader that imperialism has not only a negative impact on those run by imperialist, but also degrades those holding the power of an imperialist. Like other works Orwell has written they too have expressed his opinion on social and political aspects. In “Shooting an Elephant,” readers can recognize his opinions on imperialism through the narrator’s display of pathos. Orwell over and over expresses his hatred, fear, doubt, and distress for authority of imperialist. The narrator states “As for the job [he] was doing, [he] hated it more bitterly than [he] perhaps make clear.”
Even though Orwell did commit the crime of shooting an elephant, throughout the story he used ethos, pathos, and figurative language to convince the audience if given the opportunity he would never shoot an elephant again because the elephant represents the innocence of people. First and foremost, Orwell establishes his ethos. As stated in Everything’s an Argument, ethos is described as the author's credibility. He establishes his ethos right from the beginning of the story when he states he works for the British but he despises them.
Well known author and journalist, George Orwell, in his essay, Shooting an Elephant, describes his experiences as a Policeman in Moulmein, Burma during European Imperialism. Orwell’s purpose is to convey the ideal that what is right and what is accepted don’t always align. He adopts a remorseful tone in order to convey to the reader the weight of his actions. By looking at George Orwell’s use of imagery and figurative language, one can see his strongly conflicting opinions on Imperialism. Orwell begins his essay, Shooting an Elephant, by explaining the actions of the Burmese people and by expressing his contempt for imperialism.
This narrative piece is an effective expository technique that describes the narrator’s thoughts and tone. Orwell uses oxymoron such as “grinning corpse” and paradox phrases such as “the story always sounds clear enough at a distance, but the nearer you get to the scene of events the vaguer it becomes”. Another paradox statement is shown in “I perceived this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys”. Orwell’s decisions were briskly altered as he was deciding on whether to kill the elephant or not. His mind altered from “I ought not to shoot him” to “I had got to do it” and also to “But I did not want to shoot the elephant”.
George Orwell persuades the reader to know that people change and sometimes not for the better. Many people usually do not get accepted into the groups they want to, however with a little effort they can. Do not give up on one’s dreams, they can come true,
Throughout “Shooting An Elephant” , Orwell’s narrative style brings out internal and external conflicts that are relatable in society today. The narrator faces multiple internal and external conflicts. One external conflict being the Burmese and how they mock him because he is a representative of the British Empire, but he will do what it takes to show them he is not a fool. "I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.
By looking deeper into the novel and analyzing specific details Orwell included it can be seen how Orwell used the setting of the story, the city itself as well as the workplace of Winston as a few examples, and also the characters themselves, such as the Parsons, to get readers to see the message he was trying to warn of. The idea of conformity was enforced throughout the story, as shown above, in the ways that all citizens are made to essentially be the same as all others around them, with deadly consequences if they refuse. The theme of dehumanization is also deeply explored as all personal feelings and emotions are outlawed by the Party in an attempt to create people who all are the same. As well the setting is used to present the theme of the dangers of totalitarianism as Winston’s job is to change and “fix” any document that is critical in anyway of the government or expresses free speech. This use of literary devices effectively delivers the theme Orwell was trying to
In George Orwell 's short story titled “Shooting an Elephant” presented an event that changed a countries civilization. George’s life in Burma, and the prejudice placed by the people he oppressed inspired his writing through the uses of setting, style, and theme. In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” Orwell no specific event influenced this piece rather it was an accumulation of many small events of prejudice and hate by an opposing group of
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
When the elephant escaped from its chains, Orwell was called upon to deal with the elephant and had to make the decision whether to shoot the elephant or not. Orwell shooting the escaped elephant represents how resistance to oppression is dealt with under imperialism by using
In the short story “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, a young man experiences a case of influence and peer pressure like none other. An English police officer is placed in a Burmese area and assigned to protect the people there. The people of this town are not fond of the outsider and treat him very poorly. In order for the officer to gain a kind of reassurance from the Burmese people, he must find a way to make them happy. In the story, George Orwell uses imagery and characterization in order to demonstrate how a rite of passage can be forced upon a person in order for that person to obtain their place in society.