Vanessa Espin

Response:

While reading, “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, I notice how he uses his job, imperialism and the elephant to show his personal conflict. All the pressure he puts on himself and the situations he saw, lived and experienced. As an officer, he realized how dirty and evil imperialism was and all he wanted was to get it over with, and leave. He describes the hard situation they were going through, not only the Burmese, but his own people too. The tragic death of the elephant was a very important part of this story. It showed his inner conflicts, whether killing the elephant was the right thing to do, given his position as an officer, or the right thing to do as a human being.

I found in interesting when he said “no one had the guts to raise a riot, but if a European woman went through the bazaars alone someone would probably spit betel juice over her dress.” He describes the anti-European feeling to be bitter and upsetting, and that the fact that he was an officer made him an obvious target.

Another part I found interesting was when he said “ the wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been bogged with bamboos- all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt.” The fact that he had to be someone he was not, and someone that the natives did not tolerate, was even more of a challenge for Orwell. Even though he was an officer, and someone who should have been an authoritative role, it was almost as if he himself was a prisoner to the natives.

Did the slow death of the elephant also symbolized the slow fall of imperialism?

I think the purpose of the author is to reveal the bigger picture. In his testimony, he was fulfilling his rolled as a police officer instead of doing what he new was right. The people surrounding him, who were also being influenced by the imperialism, pressured him. He himself was a prisoner of the system.

While reading “shooting an elephant “by George Orwell I was hooked into it right way as he describes his perspective on British imperialism. Even though he was a British officer himself in the Burma at that time but he was still against the British and he also had certain hatred and guilt towards himself and his empire which I found to be very interesting.
George Orwell used his personal experience with moral difficulty to convey a message to the reader to demonstrate evilness of British imperialism and colonial politics during that time. His story presents a very compelling theme of inner conflict. He conflicts with doing what he believe is right thing to do as a human being or what he should do as imperial British officer. He used many metaphors such as when he was comparing himself to certain objects or things for example he describe himself as a magician who is about to perform a kick.

Observations:

Orwell’s descriptive language paints a clear picture to the reader.
Despite Orwell’s aversion to shooting the elephant, he becomes suddenly aware that he will lose face and be humiliated if he does not shoot it. He therefore shoots the elephant. The death itself is sustained in excruciating detail. After three shots, the elephant still does not die. Orwell fires his two remaining shots into the elephant’s heart. He sends someone to get his small rifle, then pours “shot after shot into his heart and down his throat.” I’m glad that wasn’t me.

Another aspect of the reading I noticed, although he knew what he had to do while killing the elephant I sort of felt that he didn’t want to kill that elephant. I felt it was all the imperialistic actions of his surroundings that his sould cried but had to fit in with everyone.

Compelling moments:

Orwell candidly depicts his unsympathetic actions both in shooting the elephant and in the aftermath, when he is among his fellow British police officers. He is relieved, he admits, that the coolie died, because it gave him a pretext for shooting the elephant. As far as his fellow officers are concerned, he did the right thing. As far as the natives are concerned, he saved face. Yet Orwell concludes, “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.”

Question:

Does imperialism destroy one’s own dignity & freedom?

AUTHORS PURPOSE

Orwell’s purpose, however, is more than one person’s descriptive narrative about the beginning of an awareness. “Shooting an Elephant” captures a defining experience of going against one’s own humanity at the cost of a part of that humanity.