Shooting an Elephant- Response Essay
Introduction
George Orwell’s -- Shooting an Elephant provides an insight into one day experience of George Orwell as a young British policeman working for Indian Imperial Police in Burma. I was interested in Orwell’s work as it provides a look into the moral conscience of an individual deciding to either kill an elephant or let it live. The story makes me think how taking a life can be emotionally challenging for an individual, even though it can be legal and part of your job. After discovering that an elephant had gone must and finding the elephant in the fields, Orwell is under social pressure from the Burmese locals waiting for the white man to kill the animal and his reputation is at stake.
Orwell’s work is emotionally moving as he is forced to end a life, even though he could have chosen an alternate option. The pressure from locals and the murder of an Indian local forces Orwell’s hand as he is at one point thinking of letting the elephant live. One of the most emotionally moving moments from the story was when Orwell finally shot the elephant and had to wait for a long time for the animal to die. That period of waiting for the elephant to die is an experience that even can’t wait for as he leaves the animal dying. Orwell discloses at the end that his choice was based less on the protecting others from the animal, and more on avoiding to look like a fool.
Theme and its Importance
The theme of the essay is based on the hatred for imperialism among the Burmese and the internal and external pressures faced by Orwell as he is forced to murder the elephant. The theme is important as it sets the tone for the story and identifies the factors that influence Orwell’s life and choices made while working in Burma. The theme of the work defines the evils of the Imperialism and Burmese society, which combines together and forces Orwell to make decisions that he would rather not. In combination, the theme of the essay plays a major role from the start of the story and influences its end.
Impact of Work
I learned from the Orwell’s work that society and individuals can be forced to do things under social and internal pressures. Orwell is forced to kill an elephant, as it is his duty as police officer to calm civil unrest. But, at the same time Orwell experiences internal conflict as he would prefer to let the animal live. Orwell also understands that a dead animal would cost the owner a lot of money and he should do his best to save his life and protect the locals. Such pressures are present in the modern world too, as people are forced to do things, such as jobs, education, relationships, etc. even though they prefer to do other things.
The story made think about the way British imperialism was hated in Burma as Orwell faced significant amount of hate from the locals. In addition, Orwell presented the way the British were seen by the locals and the way his decision was affected by the external pressure he was on to kill the animal. The thousands of locals who had come to see the animal die placed additional pressure on Orwell to get his shot right of get embarrassed in front of Burmese people who had no respect for him and his Imperialistic background.
I agree with his Orwell’s perspective on the theme of hatred for British Imperialism and social pressures playing a role in the decision to shoot the elephant. It is also to agree on the way external and internal pressure forces people to behave in a certain way as the narrator is struck between making either a popular or an ethical choice. I disagree with his choice of killing the elephant as he decided to bow down to external pressure and overlooked his internal choice of letting the animal live.
Challenging Work and the Language
The work was not very challenging as the narrator clearly pointed out his feelings throughout the essay and there is enough evidence of emotional discourse in the story. The way story has been written makes it easy to connect with the conflict faced by the narrator. After one read it became easy to understand the point of the narrator and the emotional innocence of the story makes it an interesting read. I would personally like to read the story again.
The language used in the story is very relatable as the reader can simply understand the perspectives of the narrator and the choice he faces. The story is written from the perspective of an Englishman who hates imperialism and understands the reason for the Burmese locals hating British Raj. As the story transpires it becomes clear that the narrator is forced to select the decisions made by the external conflicts from the British Imperialism and the local Burmese who expect Orwell to perform his duty of ending civil unrest caused by a must elephant.
References
Literary Terms. (n.d.). Theme. Retrieved 21 June 2016 from, http://literaryterms.net/theme/
Orwell., G. (1936). Shooting an Elephant. Retrieved 20 June 2016 from, http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/887/.
Roane State Community College. (n.d.). Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature. Retrieved 21 June 2016 from, https://www.roanestate.edu/owl/elementslit.html
