Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell Revision notes

“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell Revision notes on the text

Why did Orwell write the text? What was his purpose? To convey to the reader his views and opinions about imperialism and colonialism. To persuade/convince the reader to adopt his views and opinions about colonialism and imperialism.

What are his main views and opinions? • Colonialism/imperialism is wrong. • Colonialism/imperialism is futile (pointless). • Colonialists mistreat and oppress the native peoples. • Colonialists were tyrannical and abused their power.

Main themes of the text 1. Imperialism 2. Racism and poverty 3. Oppression 4. Anonymity

Main techniques used • • • Anecdote. Metaphor. Setting. Word choice. Symbolism. Pathetic fallacy.

Theme 1: imperialism Orwell highlights the serious repercussions/negative consequences of imperialism on the Burmese people/Burmese society. He emphasises that imperialism is fundamentally wrong. He is greatly opposed to it.

“destroyed somebody’s bamboo hut, killed a cow, raided some fruit stores” • Use of symbolism. (the escaped elephant is a symbol of the British Empire and its tyrannical rule). Orwell is emphasising the brutally destructive impact of the Empire on Burma/the Burmese people.

Just as the elephant has ruined and demolished parts of the town, so too has the British Empire had a ruinous and destructive impact on the countries it conquered and ruled. The British have exploited the Burmese people for their own gain, reaping the benefits of the country’s resources. However, in doing so, the country has been significantly weakened and left in state of poverty.

“had no weapons, were quite helpless against it” Word choice. Orwell emphasises that the Burmese people were too weak and feeble to prevent the British from dominating and subjugating them. They do not have the means to defeat the British Empire and expel the British colonisers from their lands.

Metaphor The British Empire is being compared to the escaped elephant. Just as the elephant was powerful, strong and unstoppable, so too were the Burmese people unable to prevent the British colonisers from conquering them, exploiting them and imposing their own culture and values.

“imperialism was an evil thing” Word choice “Evil” Even though Orwell is British and is employed by the British Empire, he still believes that imperialism is inherently wicked, malicious, ruthless, abominable, immoral. It has no moral or ethical justification. It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Theme 2: racism and poverty Orwell suggests that the Burmese people were forced to endure poverty and racism at the hands of their British colonisers.

“squalid bamboo huts” • Word choice. • Highlights the poverty and poor living conditions the Burmese people had to endure as a result of living under British rule. The people were living in squalor and had to tolerate a miserable and humiliating existence.

“squalid” Emphasises how dirty, filthy, run-down, decrepit, dilapidated, wretched, shabby, neglected, impoverished their homes were. They were forced to live in appalling and degrading slums.

“bamboo huts” Emphasises that their homes were very basic, ramshackle, rickety, unsteady, unsound, unsafe.

“the owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing” • Word choice. • Highlights the racist views of the British colonisers and the racism that the Burmese natives had to ensure during British rule. The Empire was institutionally racist. The Burmese people were discriminated against due to their nationality and race. The British colonisers regarded themselves as being racially, culturally and intellectually superior to the natives.

“only an Indian” The Burmese people were regarded by the British as being unimportant, insignificant, irrelevant, less than human, inferior, worthless, not worthy of respect, lowranking, low on the social hierarchy.

“could do nothing” Under British rule, the Burmese people had no power, no influence, no control over their own country. They were helpless and completely dominated by the British colonisers.

“stripped his body almost to the bones by afternoon” Word choice. Orwell highlights the impoverished state of the Burmese people. They are so poor that every part of the carcass of the dead elephant becomes an important source of income for them. They have been reduced to this level of desperation and poverty due to being exploited and subjugated by the British colonisers.

Theme 3: oppression • The Burmese people are oppressed by the British Empire as their freedom is removed. • Orwell is oppressed by the British Empire as he is forced into doing something that he does not wish to do (killing the elephant). The British Empire forces him into acting against his own conscience. He is forced to do something which he believes is morally wrong.

“Powerless to move, and yet powerless to die” Symbolism The elephant is used to represent the Burmese people. Just as the elephant is trapped and immobile due to its injuries, so too were the Burmese people unable to escape the control and dominance of their colonisers.

The Burmese people had no choice but to endure the hardship, mistreatment and loss of freedom that was imposed on them by the tyrannical and dictatorial rule of the British Empire. They lacked the means by which to fight back against the British and regain their liberty and dignity.

“only an absurd puppet” Metaphor. Just as a puppet is controlled and manipulated by a puppeteer, so too did Orwell believe that he was forced/pressurised into performing certain acts due to his employment in the British Empire.

Orwell makes it clear that he does not want to shoot and kill the elephant but feels that he must perform his duty as a member of the imperial police. He feels that he has been forced into committing an act of murder in order to satisfy his superiors. He feels that he has no choice but to obey: he has no freedom to decide for himself and has no control over his own actions. He is not allowed or able to judge for himself whether or not he should kill the elephant.

Orwell also feels pressured into killing the elephant by the crowd, who are actively encouraging him. He realises that he must kill the animal in order to maintain his authority over them, and maintain their respect. The provocative behaviour of the crowd/ the power of the mob also mean that Orwell does not have the freedom to act according to what he believes is morally correct. He succumbs to their pressure.

Theme 4: anonymity Orwell’s description of the Burmese people highlights how the British Empire oppressed the natives by stripping them of their identity and making them anonymous. The people were dehumanised by the process of being colonised. Orwell reveals his own racism, prejudice, contempt and disdain towards the Burmese people. His own views reflect how the Burmese people were viewed as being inferior by the British Empire.

“a sea of yellow faces” Metaphor. Orwell suggests that the Burmese people are not worthy of being seen as individuals in their own right: they are just a crowd of nameless, faceless, unremarkable people. Orwell does not regard them as being important enough to have their own identity or voice. Orwell denies them their individuality. Their personality, background, opinions are not important to him as, from his perspective, they are inferior human beings.

He describes them as being “yellow” throughout the text. This emphasises that he believes that the most significant thing about them is the colour of their skin. The word “yellow” also has negative connotations of unpleasant, unhealthy, illness. This could reflect his racist views towards the Burmese people.

“a devilish roar of glee went up from the crowd” Orwell depicts the crowd of Burmese people as being collectively savage and barbaric in their reaction to the death of the elephant. He presents them as being wild and untameable, almost like animals. This reflects the wider view that the British colonisers had of the people that they conquered.

Word choice “glee” Orwell suggests that the crowd of Burmese people were delighted, exhilarated, elated, enjoyed witnessing the execution of the elephant.

Word choice “devilish” Orwell suggests that the crowd of Burmese people reacted in a wicked, malicious, malevolent, sinister manner to the death of the elephant.