Shooting an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant SOAPSTone

Josh Day

9/7/11

4^th Hour English

Subject

The subject of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is the author’s account of killing an elephant while working as an English police officer in Burma circa 1920 and how this is an example of the coexistence of good and evil in a being or institution. The existing conflict between what is good and evil is present in the elephant as well as the British rule over Burma (1920s) and is illustrated through an ongoing metaphor of imperialism representing the elephant. Orwell starts out by discussing imperialism and how he sides with the Indians but because of his profession must remain an active worker of English imperialism. This idea is paralleled with his views towards the elephant. He understands that the elephant has caused extensive harm to the Burmese citizens but at the same time it had settled down when Orwell reaches it, causing him to question whether or not killing the creature is still necessary.

Occasion

The time of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is circa 1920s. The 1920s is illustrated by the evident lack in technology that forces people to use elephants as workers. Various other references to things such as huts give the impression that advances in things such as living have yet to infiltrate Burma.

The place of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is Burma. Burma is illustrated by the direct telling that the essay is taking place in Burma and referring the people as Burmese.  

Audience

George Orwell’s specific audience for Shooting an Elephant is people who support imperialist societies and forms of government. The author’s target audience is exhibited by his focusing on imperialism in the beginning of the essay and then his metaphor with the elephant.

The author’s general audience for the essay is the English population that is at all familiar with imperialism. The author’s general audience is expressed by his overall view of imperialism accompanied with personal experiences.

Purpose

George Orwell’s purpose in Shooting an Elephant is to persuade people to realize that imperialism degrades society and is bad. The evils of imperialism are illustrated by Orwell killing the elephant so as to keep him from looking like a fool, and because he was in a position of power he was free to do so. The purpose is further revealed by the graphic detail in which the death of the elephant was described, making Orwell appear to be the monster.

Speaker

George Orwell, established novelist, believes imperialism is bad. This value is illustrated by the degradation of Orwell’s own conscience as he was faced with the pressure of appearing foolish or killing what had become a harmless animal. He did not want to look like a fool in front of his lesser thans that his imperialist job gave him place over. Orwell included his ideas about imperialism because it helped to strengthen his argument that was already influenced by his beliefs.

Tone

George Orwell exhibits a sympathetic and remorseful attitude about the killing of the elephant and imperialism in Shooting an Elephant. These attitudes are expressed with phrases such as “I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors” and “It seemed dreadful to see the great beast Lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, and not even to be able to finish him.” We can see that he has sympathy towards the Burmese because of their oppression and feels remorseful about killing the elephant as he goes into great detail about its death and how unbearable it was to be witness to. This established tone serves to further Orwell's feelings about imperialism. The imperialistic pressures he felt resulted in his brutal killing of the elephant.