Shooting an Elephant
George Orwell’s service as a member of the imperial police in Moulmein in lower Burma from 1922 to 1927 produced in him a sense of guilt about the British colonial rule in the sub-continent and the evils it let loose. A feeling grew in him that he must make some kind of expiation foe the injustice and cruelty carried on by the British raj. His bitter attitude towards the British imperialism has got a sound expression in his anti- colonialist essay “sho . . .
One day as he was appraised of the fact that an elephant ‘ which had gone must’ turned out to be savage. This opportunity he gets during his work as a sub-divisional police officer in Burma. As a social and political critic he could not abide by anything forced upon humanity and he insists upon finding and examining the sensible buses for attitude. This incident provides him with a unique opportunity to take critical look at the real face of the imperialism and the impact it leaves on both natives and the English. But the stress under which he executes his job gives rise to a number of questions in his mind. Orwell has the opportunity to see into the evil disposition of imperialism. His essay ‘shooting an elephant’ is a remarkable one as it examines and invites the readers to reconsider the total truth about the British colonial rule in the sub-continent. In this essay Orwell narrates in detail how he during his stay in Burma, became a victim of the situation and consequently was coerced into the act of killing an elephant. Orwell as his job as a police officer requires rushed to the spot and after the hazard some experience finally killed the elephant. Viewed apparently this killing is nothing but a mere killing of an animal which went mad. Furthermore, the killing provided moments of excitement and ecstasy for his natives.
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