The crowd expected him to kill the elephant and he felt that he was obliged to act in this way. Eventually, under this pressure he acted against his own wish and he killed it. After the elephant’s death opinions about the incident were divided among the people. Some of them said it was right thing to do, while others said that it was a shame to kill the elephant. In the end he was happy that an Indian coolie was killed by the elephant, because it gave him a good reason to shoot it.
Once the officer is finally led to the elephant, he notices how calm and regal the creature is but realizes that he must kill the elephant to appease the crowd that had come to watch. At this point, the story slows as the narrator is forced to battle with himself over the life of the elephant. He eventually comes to the decision to shoot the elephant. In the end, the narrator reflects on the consequences of shooting the elephant and decides that what he did was right, even if he only did it to preserve his pride (Orwell). Orwell’s short story covers the narrator’s mental battles well and uses characterization and symbolism to convey the effects of imperialism on individuals and how the pressure of a group’s wants can lead someone to a decision that is immoral.
Orwell made it clear to the reader which side he wants to be on, which in this case is the elephant’s side. However, a big crowd is standing behind him, waiting for him to kill the creature he believed did not deserve to die. He knows the villagers do not like him (As mentioned at the beginning), that they made him feel small even if he was in a position of authority. One option was to leave the elephant be, and suffer the laughter of the natives. The other option is to ignore his beliefs, and shoot the
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.
Writers pressured traditional morals and customs and showed the world through different perspectives. “Shooting an Elephant” is a good example of these characteristics of modernism because of its main themes of morality and personal struggle. Orwell writes a creative story about himself in a situation where he must either kill an elephant or face complete humiliation by society. The first-person narration reveals the moral struggle he faces and his contemplation between what he thought was right versus what the hateful society wanted. Orwell writes “I had
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, rumors spread and lead to making false assumptions about people, which could cause their reputation to crumble. The novel clearly states many clear and valid points as to why these rumors can affect many people, and how they can change a person 's life in a bad way. Such as in the situation of Dolphus Raymond, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, many people suffer from the sickening disease of rumors. Don’t try to create rumors about people because it only leads to more damage between the person who spreads rumors, and the person who has rumors spread on them, because it could truly affect their life in ways that are
Victorians wanted a separation between them and the “freaks” because this realization that anyone could become Mr. Hyde was terrifying. Society shunned and hated them because aristocrats believed that is what they could become if they strayed from the righteous path. This scene when Mr. Enfield first meets Mr. Hyde expresses that ideal perfectly, replying to Mr. Utterson
All of this former knowledge culminates in the mind of a reader of George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” and plays into their sympathies. The death of the elephant is especially drawn out in order to evoke pity and resentment towards the narrator. Along with that, however, is what the symbol that the elephant represents: the suffering country of Burma. By lengthening the elephant’s death, Orwell forces sympathy for the elephant and the plight of the Burman people. The story opens with a candid confession from our British narrator.
After gaining authority, in a cruel way; Emperor Wu decided to misuse them. As an emperor back then or even a government in the modern days you will often get rejected for your plans and ideas, however instead of peacefully solving the misunderstanding and the hatred between the people and herself; Emperor Wu decides to kill them. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Emperor Wu used her authority gained, to kill many of the elder statesmen including Tai Zong emperor’s uncle whom had influenced greatly to the country, however objected some of Emperor Wu’s ideas and ways of ruling the country. Without an open-minded heart, people starts to doubt Emperor Wu’s ability as an emperor; this is because without an open-mined heart how would she know the mistakes she did? How could she possibly improve the country?
The “chained up” (Orwell: 50) animal represents the “White Man’s Burden” (cf. Kipling: 1) which is a term for the loads that white oppressors have to bear when being in the colonies and having to satisfy the demands of the local people. Thus, when considering that the elephant represents the British Empire, the chained up animal bears testimony that the British officials in colonies have to act according to the local population’s will as it is also the finding of the protagonist. So after all, the system of imperialism is damaging for both parties of an imperialistic