The subject of George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is the sham of imperialism that turns the rulers into puppets that are controlled by the will of the people they rule. This fallacy is illustrated through Orwell’s lack of control over a situation that he should have commanded. Even thought Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant, he was forced to because he did not want to appear weak or foolish in the eyes of the natives behind him.
“Shooting an Elephant” was probably written in the later years of Orwell’s life as he looked back on this event of his youth. The essay’s time of creation is conveyed by the author’s past verb tense and the assumption he allows his readers to make that he is no longer in that country any more. In the first line of the essay he says, “In Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people.” This implies that he is no longer in Moulmein and the people there have forgotten about him, which tells us that this essay was written at a later point in his life. The probable place of the essay’s creation is Orwell’s house or other usual place where he writes that is in England. This is because we have already assumed that he has left the country that the essay took place in, so that means he has probably returned to England.
The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay by creating a more thoughtful and recollecting tone for the piece. The tone of the essay is created by the analyzation of the flaws of his youthful personality and how they reflect the illusion of imperialism. This tone makes the most sense if it is used while looking far back into the past when Orwell is much older and much more different man than he was when he shot the elephant. The tone of the essay implies that Orwell has aged and changed from the events of the essay to it’s writing, and this demonstrates the affect the time and place have on the piece.
George Orwell’s specific audience for “Shooting and Elephant” is people who believe that imperialism is beneficial for the leaders of an imperialistic state. The author‘s target audience is identified by the unique view that Orwell has because he has experienced the effects of imperialism first hand. The point that Orwell is trying to make with the essay is that imperialism is not a positive thing for the rulers of an imperialistic state, and this argument would be wasted on people who already agree with him. The argument is for people who do not agree with the point he is trying to make, and those are people who believe that imperialism benefits the rulers.
The author’s general audience for the essay is anyone who would benefit from learning the negative effects of imperialism on its leaders. This could be the leaders of imperialistic states or anyone who is debating with themselves or others about whether or not imperialism is positive or negative. The author’s general audience is expressed by the insight and first hand account of the negative effects of imperialism. This point reveals the general audience because the people who could benefit from knowing the negative effects of imperialism could benefit from a first hand account of these effects.
George Orwell’s purpose in “Shooting an Elephant” is to reveal the negative effects of imperialism. These negative effects are illustrated through the mastery the natives had over the police officer even though the police officer should have been the one in charge. This shows that in an imperialistic society, the leaders are at the mercy of the people who they should be in charge of. Orwell says that the leaders are trapped and are constantly trying to please the natives.
George Orwell, who served the Imperial Indian Police in Burma, believes that imperialism negatively affects its leaders. This value is illustrated by the feelings of helplessness and powerlessness he had while he was watched by the crowd of natives. These feelings express Orwell’s idea the imperialism causes its leaders to become the puppets of their people. This helps support the negative effects of imperialism, which is the purpose of this essay.
George Orwell, who did not want to shoot the elephant, also believes that you should not conform to a group if you know that you will do something wrong. Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant, but the crowd of natives behind him wanted him to, so he did. He tells us that he did not want to shoot the elephant but did so in order to not seem like a fool. This shows the negative effects of imperialism because Orwell was controlled by the will of the native people, even though it disagreed with his beliefs.
George Orwell uses imagery in the scene when the elephant is dying. This imagery helps us see that killing the elephant was a terrible thing to do because the elephant was peaceful and died in great pain. This influences the essay’s purpose because it show what negative results can occur if leaders succumb to the will of the people they rule.
George Orwell exhibits a pensive and regretful attitude about his experience with the negative effects of imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant.” These attitudes are expressed by a reflective and slightly ashamed tone. The reflective tone demonstrates Orwell’s thoughtful attitude towards the negative effects of imperialism and the ways that they completely dominate the leaders of that society. After he shoots the elephant, the reader feels an almost ashamed tone in Orwell’s writing because he has a regretful attitude towards what he had just done. He had succumbed to the will of the crowd and fell right into the trap that imperialism creates for its leaders. These attitudes and tones support the purpose of this essay, which is to reveal the negative effects of imperialism, by casting an unfavorable light on the crowd’s control over Orwell’s actions.
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