Why is it that Orwell talks about the pros and cons of his
job in the beginning of the article?
*Is there a correlation between Orwell’s descriptions of
imperialism and shooting the elephant?
Why does Orwell describe the shooting of the elephant in
such great detail?
Some people find it hard to grasp
the concept of imperialism and its effects on the conquered nation. I feel like George Orwell gives a very
simple yet all-encompassing description of this ruler and ruled relationship
when describing the shooting of the elephant.
Personally, this article really kept my attention all the way until the
end since it was so detailed. I also
wanted to know if my thoughts were right.
Indeed, to me at least, there is a correlation between imperialism and
the shooting of the elephant.
I’ll keep it simple by pointing out
the correlations. The people that
follow the shooter are the imperialist countries. The elephant is the nation(s) being conquered. The shooter represents the people who carry
out the conquering. The people back at
home sit back and relax, and all they do is take in the profits made from
exploiting the conquered people, just like the natives immediately just started
taking the meat from the dying elephant.
The shooter may or may not have wanted to shoot the elephant, or take
control over the nation, but the pressure from the natives, or the home
country, forces him to carry out the action even if it were against his
conscience. He even said that the
breathing of the elephant as it died really disturbed him while the people did
not even notice that—they just took what they needed and ran off. Just like the shooter, the people who go out
to conquer the nations for the home country may be haunted by the images of the
people and villages dying at their hands, but the people at home only look at
how much profit is being made and asking for more.
Orwell cleverly uses yet another
story using an animal to convey is perspective on political and world
topics. I know he wrote Animal Farm,
which had animals that represented certain world leaders and was meant to go
against Stalin.
you are right. there is a relationship between shooting the elephant and the Empire. the animal is a symbol of the people under the Empire's control. he has such a tone in his other book "Animal Farm" as most animals follow a leader while they actually have no idea about it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you went in this direction for your blog response. In the beginning Orwell shows his anti-colonial sentiment, but then recites his story about shooting the elephant. I feel Orwell, being the literary genius he is, was going to use something to show his disdain for colonialism. The elephant must be symbolic of something. I found what each component of the story symbolized to be very interesting. I felt the elephant represented the colonial model and trying to kill it was extremely difficult. No matter what the correct answer is, it is up to interpretation.
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