Monday, August 27, 2012
Shooting an Elephant
In the essay, "Shooting an Elephant"(1936) author George Orwell claims he was forced into shooting an Elephant because he didn't want to let down the people of Burma. They thought of this as fun and they just wanted the meat. Orwell stated "As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with prefect certainty that i ought not to shoot him." But with the two thousand people surrounding him, he could see on the "sea of yellow faces above the garish clothes - faces happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot." In order to please the people, he had to shoot it, they expected it of him. With a tone of regret, he is addressing the audience of people who might be in this position, with a hope that people wont fall into this trap.
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Polly - your use of quotations is good, but you're really missed the thesis and purpose of this essay. The thesis is more that Imperialistic Nations force individuals, both oppress and those who are symbols of oppression, into situations where they act out of character - they do things they don't want to do because they are controlled; Imperialism is prison for all.
ReplyDeletePrecis aren't easy, and narration sometimes is harder to write about. Remember the thesis is sometimes suggested, meaning it lies underneath the text and isn't directly stated.