"Shooting an Elephant" and English Imperialism

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the book, "Shooting an Elephant," written by George Orwell. The paper contends that Orwell's hatred for English imperialism is one of the main themes of this story. The paper presents excerpts from the book to illustrate the author's use of clear diction and powerful images. The paper discusses the emotional intensity of the scenes that is so aptly heightened to effectively move readers and to win them over to the author's side. The way the elephant and his innocence is portrayed highlights Orwell's use of emotional manipulation to capture readers' attention and control their feelings.

From the Paper:

"George Orwell's hatred for English imperialism was one of the main themes of his story, 'Shooting an elephant'. The fact that his books have animals in them and they tell intriguing stories about animals says a great deal about his interest in natural settings. These natural settings were used to highlight political meaning of his stories. The story gives the reader an insightful depiction of the life of an animal in the Burmese land. But it's not a shallow portrayal and neither should it be taken for its literal meaning. What is significant in the depiction is the way the author has connected his life with that of the animal to express his utter abhorrence of imperialist forces and the dehumanization of Burmese. There was no sense of sympathy in Burmese who themselves had regularly been subjected to brutality by dark imperialist powers."

More papers on "Shooting an Elephant" and English Imperialism:

• Book Review # 66699 : "British Imperialism in George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"
• Analytical Essay # 129991 : "Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"
• Analytical Essay # 128226 : "Imperialism in Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"

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