The subject of George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is that imperialism is oppressive and wrong. His belief that imperialism is bad is illustrated by him openly stating this in the text. As Orwell states at the beginning, “…I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing.” Elsewhere, he mentions that he hates the British Empire for what they are doing in Burma, and secretly supports the oppressed people. This clearly demonstrates the he thinks imperialism is wrong, and how he strongly disapproves of imperialist countries, even his own country. As he says at the end, “When the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.”
“Shooting an Elephant” was written during the end of the British imperial era in the 1930s. The essay’s time of creation is conveyed when he mentions that, although he didn’t know it at the time, “the British Empire [was] dying.” This shows that it was indeed written near the end of Britain’s imperial age, in the early- to mid-1900s. The probable place of the essay’s creation is Moulmein, Burma. Although this may not be where Orwell physically wrote the essay, he states in the beginning that it takes place “In Moulmein, in lower Burma.” The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay by showing that the author has quite a bit of experience on the subject of imperialism. This is because he lived and worked in an imperialist colony during imperial rule, and saw first-hand the effects of imperialism.
George Orwell’s specific audience for “Shooting an Elephant” is the average citizen of an imperial European country. The author’s target audience is revealed by his constant appeals to “white man in the East,” and comparing his struggle to the struggles of all the imperial Europeans in Asia. This shows that he is trying to connect with a specific audience, namely colonizing European citizens. The author’s general audience for the essay is anyone curious about the effects of imperialism. The author’s general audience is shown when he explains the basis of imperialism to his audience. His specific audience presumably already knows quite a bit about imperialism, because the live in an imperial country. But when Orwell explains imperialism a little, he is clearly addressing a much broader audience, one that is curious about imperialism but may not know much about it.
George Orwell’s purpose in “Shooting an Elephant” is to persuade his audience that imperialism is wrong and doesn’t work. This purpose is illustrated when he states that he “grasped the hollowness, the futility of the white man’s dominion in the East,” and when he says “imperialism was an evil thing, and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it, the better.” Here, he is openly claiming his dislike for imperialism, and his belief that imperialism in Asia is a futile and failed plan. The purpose is further revealed when he says how he views the British Raj, as an “unbreakable tyranny, as something clamped down… upon the will of prostrate peoples.” This once again shows his dislike for imperialism, and explains why he thinks it’s wrong; namely, it leads to abuse and mistreatment of local people and cultures.
George Orwell, a British writer in the early 1900s, believes heavily in basic human rights. This value is illustrated by his anger toward the British government (mentioned in the last paragraph) for oppressing and mistreating local people. He is angry at the British Raj and all imperial governments in general, because in conquering these native peoples, they often deny the natives of their basic rights as human beings. This belief factors heavily into his purpose, as it is the main reason that he believes makes imperialism bad. George Orwell also believes that Westerners shouldn’t try to interfere with the culture of other’s. This value is illustrated by how he was pressured into shooting the elephant. His Western morals told him not to attack the creature, but he had no choice. In order to save face in front of the natives, he had to conform to their ways and will and shoot the elephant. This factors in to the other part of his purpose: to persuade people that imperialism doesn’t work. He believes that we shouldn’t try to abolish the culture of others, because we can’t; it will just end up hurting us more.
George Orwell exhibits a pressured and angry attitude towards the effects of imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant.” These attitudes are expressed by his use of words such as “stuffy,” “bitter,” “upsetting,” “intolerable,” and “rage.” The words “stuffy” and “upsetting” express the pressured tone that Orwell uses, while the words “bitter,” “intolerable,” and “rage” all express the feelings of anger that Orwell is trying to convey. These feelings serve the purpose of the essay by providing Orwell’s true feelings about imperialism, which he is trying to convince the audience is a bad thing. And since he is trying to portray imperialism as wrong, it is good to accompany this with negative feelings.
Sorry it's late. I spent an extra-long time on it to make up for that.
Nice job Connor.
ReplyDelete"His Western morals told him not to attack the creature, but he had no choice."
I found the above quote very interesting. So you see the Western man as more civilized and less likely to inflict harm on an animal? Do you think this was Orwell's Western values or just his own personality? It would be interesting to better explain this point.