The suffering of others can take its toll on everyone involved - both the oppressed and the oppressor. In Martin Luther King's essay "Three Ways of Meeting Oppression," King notes that people can be disheartened by oppression, but they must not let these hardships get them down. The perseverance of this oppressed person that King describes can also be found in the elephant of George Orwell's short story "Shooting an Elephant." In this story, we see an elephant refusing to die, even as the reluctant police officer continues to shoot it. This is representative of the oppressed peoples' refusal to give up, even as it is being defeated. This essay compares King's essay with Orwell's short story, in order to demonstrate the strength of an oppressed peoples' resistance.
In both stories, the idea of allowing oppression to take hold without resistance is explored. King discusses the idea of exhaustion in the oppressed; "Some people are so worn down by the yoke of oppression that they give up" (King, 1958). The narrator of Orwell's short story, witnesses a lack of exhaustion in the elephant as he is continually shot, even to the point where he can no longer hurt him; "He was dying, very slowly and in great agony, but in some world remote from me where not even a bullet could damage him further" (Orwell, 1936). King's idea of succumbing to oppression is noted by exhaustion, something never performed by the elephant due to its bravery and strength.
King's solution to oppression, noting that exhaustion and violence do not work, is to pursue nonviolent resistance. "The nonviolent resister agrees with the person who acquiesces that one should not be physically aggressive toward his opponent; but he balances the equation by agreeing with the person of violence that evil must be resisted" (King, 1958). The elephant does this in order to maintain its dignity - the elephant chooses not to attack the people who might wish to see it dead in exchange for wishing to be left alone. "I thought then and I think now that his attack of "must" was already passing off; in which case he would merely wander harmlessly about until the mahout came back and caught him" (Orwell, 1936).
The nonviolent resistance King advocates is said to help bring the oppressors over to their side. "By nonviolent resistance, the Negro can also enlist all men of good will in his struggle for equality" (King, 1958). The police officer in Orwell's story is heartbroken by the elephant's death, and laments the fact that he has to die, effectively agreeing with the elephant's right to life but saddled with his responsibilities and fearful of reprisals by his peers. "I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had [shot the elephant] solely to avoid looking like a fool" (Orwell, 1936).
In conclusion, King's solution to oppression is to focus on nonviolent resistance, choosing not to attack but not to accept said oppression. This is representative of the elephant on Orwell's story, who remains peaceful but does not willingly die in order to make the police officer's job easier. In this way, the elephant is the oppressed, and carries a thematic link to King's appeal for nonviolence.
Works Cited
King Jr., Martin Luther. "Three Ways of Meeting Oppression." Stride Toward Freedom, 1958.
Orwell, George. "Shooting an Elephant." New Writing, 1936. Print.
