Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Imperialism - an Irony - Shooting an Elephant - 1255 Words
Imperialism  an irony. Imperialism is a no win situation: ââ€" ââ€" ââ€" Throughout the short text we see Orwell as a character torn between two completely juxtaposed ideals: that in support of the oppressed and the colonial. We are barely halfway through the opening sentence when Orwell declares how he was â€Å"hated by large numbers of people†and we quickly learn of the immense anger he has towards his tormentors. Initially, we learn of Orwell’s personal experience of power and how he is â€Å"hated by large numbers of people†. ââ€" We quickly see how much of a struggle it is for Orwell to endure the bitterness of the locals. ââ€"‹ ââ€"‹ ââ€" Orwell paints the â€Å"sneering yellow faces of young men†and talks of the insults â€Å"hooted†at his†¦show more content†¦This metaphor is then extended to the idea of a puppet. We see this image of the crowd pulling at Orwell’s strings, physically moving his limbs for him and forcing him to act against his will. We see the nature of the pupett having no will or mind of it’s own, not ability to decide in it’s fate but instead purely reliant on those who control it suggesting Orwell’s ultimate dependance upon the Burmese in his decision making process. The idea of performance suggests a nature of â€Å"playing up†to the locals. It suggests that the colonials are adhering to some sort of stereotype, trying to keep up appearances, to match the expectations of the people. He suggests this idea of an illusion of control, that the colonials think they have free will, power yet in fact they are lead by their own stereotype: ââ€" ââ€" ââ€" ââ€" ââ€" ââ€" ââ€"‹ We again see the will of those people is a stronger force that the threat of Orwell’s weapon. We see the gun is ultimately futile and so too is Orwell’s power. â€Å"He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it†. This metaphor really hammers home the idea of acting up to stereotype. The colonials, as colonials, feel they need to act in a particular way and thus their free will is impeded. They feel they must do what is â€Å"expected of them†. â€Å"A sahib has got to act like a Sahib†We see Orwell performs the role that is expected of him, but in pretending, in performance, heShow MoreRelatedShooting an Elephant840 Words  | 4 PagesSYMBOLISM, METAPHORS AND IRONY IN THIS ESSAY AND EXPLAIN HOW HE USES EACH OF THESE TO CONVEY HIS ARGUMENT OR MESSAGE In the extract, Shooting An Elephant Orwell conveys his message through the use of various persuasive tools. He wants the reader to identify when somebody assumes power. This technique is used to show that the powerful are also a captive to the will of people they control. Everyone involved in the situation becomes affected. In this instance, imperialism has a negative affect onRead MoreAnalysis of George Orwells Shooting an Elephant Essay example1050 Words  | 5 PagesTechnique Analysis of ‘Shooting an elephant’ Written by George Orwell Essay by Arthur Diennet In 1936, George Orwell published his short story ‘Shooting an elephant’ in an English magazine. Since then, it has been republished dozens of times and holds a place as a definitive anti-colonial piece of literature, in an era where the British Empire was at its peak and covered almost 1/3 of the Earth’s surface. George Orwell believed that â€Å"†¦imperialism was an evil thing...†and uses much themesRead MoreGeorge Orwells Style of Writing Essay example1038 Words  | 5 Pagescruelty. Soon after succeeding in gaining the readers sympathy by expressing the narrators feelings as an Anglo-Indian in Burma, Orwell shifts his focus on criticizing imperialism. In his second paragraph, the narrator overtly utters his criticism towards imperialism when he says I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing... I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.At this point, the reader can interpret that the narrator has sympathy forRead More George Orwells Writing Essay examples899 Words  | 4 PagesGeorge Orwells Writing George Orwell is best known for his fiction writing, particularly Animal Farm and 1984. In Shooting an Elephant he demonstrates his talent in non-fiction writing. Not everyone was familiar with the way in which the British Imperial rule worked and Orwell uses his rhetorical language to bring the readers of his essay into the immediate world that was that of an imperial officer. Orwell?s essay is written in the first person perspective. This was done deliberatelyRead MoreEssay about Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell1527 Words  | 7 PagesShooting an Elephant by George Orwell Few supervisors experience lack of respect and denunciation from workers because of their positions in a company. Supervisors take actions to preserve the image of authority before subordinates and from being ridiculed by their workers, even if the supervisors object these types of actions. The essay Shooting an Elephant relates to this situation. The author of this essay is George Orwell. The author talks about his work and personal experience that emphasizesRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 941 Words  | 4 Pages        George Orwell’s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†is a story about the experience of the narrator who was asked to shoot a wild elephant. He was a police officer who worked for British imperialists and killing the elephant would help him receive good judgement from the villagers in Burma. Orwell says that imperialism is evil and should be eliminated while others think that it is good for the public. The purpose of Orwell’s story is to show the audience that imperialism is harmful and not as good asRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Orwell Shooting An Elephant 1189 Words  | 5 Pages                              â€Å"Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant†: Effect of Imperialism in Burma Imperialism is a state of mind, fueled by the arrogance of superiority that could be adopted by any nation irrespective of its geographical location in the world. 1. Evidence of the existence of empires dates back to the dawn of written history in Egypt and in Mesopotamia, where local leaders extended their realms by conquering other states and holding them, when possible, in a state of subjection and semi subjection. Imperialism was rebornRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1233 Words  | 5 Pagesâ€Å"Shooting an Elephant†â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†is about the guilt of British colonialism that George Orwell faces as a sub-divisional police officer. Based on his experiences, he has seen the real wickedness of imperialism. In â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†, Orwell displays the evil of imperialism as harsh, belligerent, and provoking. First, Orwell encounters the harshness of imperialism. Furthermore, Orwell says, â€Å" the sneering yellow faces of young men†¦ the insults hooted me when I was at a safe distanceRead More Shooting an Elephant Essay1373 Words  | 6 Pagesessay, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell illustrates his experiences as a British police officer, and reflects it to the nature of imperialism. He hates his job as a police officer in Moulmein because an â€Å"anti-European feeling was very bitter†due to British Empire’s dictatorship in Burma. Therefore, Orwell, a white man is being treated disrespectfully by the Burmese which allows him to hate his job and British Empire, the root of everything. However, the incident of shooting of an elephant givesRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant1165 Words  | 5 PagesIn George Orwell’s story ‘Shooting an Elephant’, insight is given into the life of an oppressor in the British Empire. Orwell, hav ing undergone a significant personal experience, illustrates his experience of imperialism and the resounding effects is has on the ethical conduct and ideals of man, not only of the oppressed but also in regards of the oppressor. Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant’ attempts to convey the sacrifice of one’s morality in service of imperialism. Through the spread of the British
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.