Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Ritsuki Kai
Ms. Lee
10/23/17
Why are police brutalities, white supremacism, riots, and protests all such a problem in
our lives? While the ideas of imperialism are now frowned upon, the ideas of racial dominance
still pop up in our society. This is the contradiction that occurs in Shooting an Elephant
explained by George Orwell. This story follows the narrator who served as a police officer for
the British government in Moulmein, a city in lower Burma. In the story, the narrator is faced
with the problem of following his morals or shooting the elephant and preserving the idea of
authority. In Shooting an Elephant, Orwell conveys the theme that there is a forced superiority
of Western Culture by using the literary elements of paradox, symbolism, and types of conflict.
Orwell uses paradox to show that Western Culture is forced upon colonial subjects as
being superior. When the problem was first presented, the narrator had no intention of killing the
animal even though he was given the task. He was then forced to kill the elephant, slowly
pressured by the huge crowd of native Burmese. While his morals supported the opposite, he
killed the animal because he had to show the image of mercilessness to prevent rebellion. Orwell
writes, It made me vaguely uneasy. 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 crown
following you(Orwell 2). From the quote, one can see that the narrator is pressured by the
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Natives that are assuming that he will shoot the animal. To further emphasize, he says, It is a
serious matter to shoot a working elephant- it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly
piece of machinery- and obviously one ought not to do it if it can possibly be avoided (Orwell
2). The narrator obviously does not want to shoot it but has to based on the fact that he has to
show superiority. A paradox is shown when the narrator is in a position where he is forced to go
against his morals by the native Burmans. Even though he was in the position of authority, he
had no control over his decisions because he could not show any weakness or the natives would
start rebelling.
Orwell uses symbolism to show how much colonization influences the culture of the the
native people. The story starts with a tame elephant that had gone must and had a frenzy,
making it go on a rampage. The Burmese population had no weapons and were helpless against
it, giving it the ability to destroy the town. In this story, the elephant mainly symbolizes the
British and how much they have influence over the Burmese. he British culture is implemented
into their lives that even when the elephant dies, the effect still lasts. Orwell writes, I rounded
the hut and saw a mans dead body sprawling on the mud. The people said that the elephant had
come suddenly upon him round the corner of the hut, caught him with its trunk, put its foot on
his back and ground him into the earth (Orwell 2). Here, the elephant is meant to represent the
British who have destroyed the civilians lives. The mass destruction caused by the elephant is
similar to that of the British that had an effect on the Native Burmese. To further explain the
symbolism, Orwell writes, As I started forward practically the whole population of the quarter
flocked out of the houses and followed me. They had seen the rifle and were all shouting
excitedly that I was going to shoot the elephant(Orwell 2). The elephant, like the British
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changed everybodys lives and how they acted, at least for a few hours. Even when the British
were overthrown out of Burma, the influence of their culture in the native culture was so strong
Orwell develops the man vs. society conflict to express the idea that the natives despise
and are challenging the authority of colonial rule. The narrator first has his mind set on only
using the gun as a form of defense. In the story, though the British have the authority, the
Burmese population also has some influence. Throughout the story, the Burmese is described as
lower than the British and test the British power continuously. Orwell states, All I knew was
that I was stuck between the hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited
little beasts who tried to make my job impossible(Orwell 1). In the quote, one can see that the
narrator sees the Burmese as pesky people who just get in the way of his job. To further
emphasize his feelings he writes, This happened more than once. In the end the sneering yellow
faces of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe
distance, got badly on my nerves(Orwell 1). In this story and in the introduction, the British
police are described as being despised from the natives. The native Burmese always make the job
hard for him, seeing the police officers as jokes. While the British have clear authority, the
natives challenge it in hopes of overthrowing them at some point. They show the British they
In conclusion, it is shown throughout the story that the narrator is against imperialism due
to his personal experiences in Burma. We can see his struggles of being a police officer through
paradox, symbolism, and the types of conflict.Throughout the story, the narrator has to act and
wear a mask of an imperial figure. To sustain the image of authority, he ends up killing the
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elephant, totally going against own morals. In this story, the elephant represents the British,
causing massive amounts of damage, even impacting those who are innocent. Even after the
animal is killed, it has a lasting effect like the British influence over the countries it colonized.
The author even describes it as being evil. Segregation and racism is still seen today and will
continue on. All these problems have one common idea and that idea is to be superior to other
countries or races. Imperialism and colonization restricts the freedom of cultures, ideas, and
individuals.