Why George Orwell Chose to Shoot the Elephant - 752 Words

Why did he shoot the elephant? There are many different reasons as to why George Orwell chose to shoot the Elephant in the short story, †Shooting an Elephant†. In the following essay, there will be a wide and deep response of why George Orwell chose to shoot the elephant in the end. The first and primary reason for George Orwell shooting the elephant is simply Orwell being afraid. He was originally not intending to shoot the elephant; he merely brought the rifle for his own protection. â€Å"I had no intention of shooting the elephant – I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself if necessary – and it is always unnerving to have a crowd following you. I marched down the hill, looking and feeling a fool, with the rifle over my shoulder†¦show more content†¦Orwell claims that a white man must not be frightened in front of â€Å"natives†, so he wasn’t, but who knows, he might have been just as afraid for his own life as the natives. To sum up the reasoning behind George Orwell shooting the elephant, one must conclude, that there had been put great pressure on his shoulders. He had two ways to go, both with major problems. Some might say he chose the right thing, while others will be opposed, but one thing is right. He did it for the better ofShow MoreRelatedPolitics And Economy By George Orwell806 Words   |  4 Pagesand behavior. George Orwell demonstrates the quote by Ruskin in his piece of writing Shooting an Elephant. This story not only applies to the first, but also the second sentence of the quote. When Ruskin states, â€Å"what we think or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence,† he is explaining how daily thoughts are not taken into account. He finishes the quote by saying, â€Å"the only consequence is what we do.† This says that the only thing people judge are our actions. Orwell has this sameRead More Shooting An Elephant Essay1374 Words   |  6 Pages The story that my evaluation will be based on is Shooting an Elephant written in 1936. The author George Orwell was born in 1903 in India to a British officer raised in England. He attended Eton College, which introduced him to England’s middle and upper classes. He was denied a scholarship, which led him to become a police officer for the Indian Imperial in 1922. He served in Burma until resigning in 1927 due to the lack of respect for the justice of British Imperialism in Burma and India. HeRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 933 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge Orwell: Killing an Elephant Throughout history, empires from all over world, from different time periods, have been successful in acquiring vast majority of land from powerless nations. All of this is better known as imperialism. Empires look to expand and gain capital by acquiring raw materials, land, and labor. There is benefit for the conquering nation, but the oppressed victims are often left with their physical and mental health impaired as they are constantly exposed to long work hoursRead MoreThe Wife Beater By Gayle Rosenwald Smith1945 Words   |  8 Pageseven men when women wear them, it is just suppose to be a shirt. â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† by George Orwell, was different in many ways, it kind of went back and forth. The police officer was an innocent man just doing his job, until an elephant came along and killed a man with his musth. Everybody was making a big deal about it, the group of people made the man shoot the elephant for the safety of everyone else, but the elephant was scared and not where he belonged. The police officer was pressured intoRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1791 Words   |  8 Pageswas known more commonly by his pen name George Orwell. He was very outspoken and blunt about his views against the tyrannical British rule and openly opposed its nature. One of the reasons why he was acclaimed as one of the best writers of the era was because of his lucid prose and the other was the aptness of his work. George Orwell wanted to target the British rule and to support the idea of a Democratic Government. In the essay ‘Shooting an Elephant’, Orwell shows the flaw in the system and how beingRead MoreVictimization : A Postcolonial Reading Of George Orwellsshooting An Elephant 1915 Words   |  8 PagesBeyond the Obvious Victimization: A Postcolonial Reading of George Orwell’s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† In my short teaching career, I have experienced two paralyzing instances of student tears in class that required my response. One of those such instances was in response to reading George Orwell’s essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†: my sensitive student was so sad about the elephant’s fate that she needed to leave class to recover from her grief. Such a reaction is not unreasonable to Orwell’s tragicRead MoreGeorge Orwell s Plea For Understanding2384 Words   |  10 PagesKervick 10 Orwell?s Plea for Understanding George Orwell has gone done in history as one of the greatest novelists of the Twentieth Century. His works Animal Farm and 1984 have been acclaimed masterpieces of social commentary. While his less known work ?Shooting an Elephant? is perceived as imperial criticism, it is actually much more. It constitutes his public declaration of why he chose to leave his job, live for years with the poorest of the poor and flip his political views upside down. Born