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George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" is an account of a British Parliament solider who hunts down an aggressive elephant. The account feels incredibly personal and as though Orwell himself is the one who is hunting down the elephant. We are never told explicitly whether or not the narrator is Orwell himself and this makes the story feel much more personal, but also adds to the fact that this could be a fictional narrative.
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The narrative poses the question of morality. Morally the soldier is under the law of the imperial British rule and forced to keep the Burma people in line. In regards to imperialism, the people of Burma are very against the British soldiers and have been rude towards the soldier with snide comments. Imperialism can be an ugly coin with two sides. There is no right side and Orwell addresses that in his story.
http://orwell.ru/library/articles/elephant/img/elephant.jpg
As this man hunts down an elephant, he wars with the knowledge that he will have to kill the elephant because of the Burmese people. They have follow him after they see him carry an elephant gun and he has crowds of two thousand behind him. The question is whether he is killing the elephant because of the people or because it is his duty as British officer.
Morally killing this elephant is graphic. It consists of multiple rounds being fired and the elephant still struggling to hang onto life. The elephant is hanging to life by a thread (much like the Burmese people). This elephant is living its life and the rule of man has said that it is violent, aggressive, and a risk to society. It must be taken down. The Burmese people have been told by the British that they are uncivilized and need culture to function properly. Both instances show that the British have control over innocent individuals who are trying to live their lives.
Do you think the Burma people are similar to the elephant? Let me know down below in the comments.
See you soon,
Sarah Johnson
http://orwell.ru/library/articles/elephant/img/elephant.jpg
As this man hunts down an elephant, he wars with the knowledge that he will have to kill the elephant because of the Burmese people. They have follow him after they see him carry an elephant gun and he has crowds of two thousand behind him. The question is whether he is killing the elephant because of the people or because it is his duty as British officer.
Morally killing this elephant is graphic. It consists of multiple rounds being fired and the elephant still struggling to hang onto life. The elephant is hanging to life by a thread (much like the Burmese people). This elephant is living its life and the rule of man has said that it is violent, aggressive, and a risk to society. It must be taken down. The Burmese people have been told by the British that they are uncivilized and need culture to function properly. Both instances show that the British have control over innocent individuals who are trying to live their lives.
Do you think the Burma people are similar to the elephant? Let me know down below in the comments.
See you soon,
Sarah Johnson
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