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Ritsuki Kai

Ms. Lee

8th Grade English R4

10/23/17

The Negative Effects of Imperialism

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

that parts of it still last today.

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

have no respect for them at all because of the sour relationship.

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.

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