Skip to main content

In paragraph 11 of "Shooting an Elephant," what does such a characterization of the time period suggest about George Orwell?:At last, after...

In this paragraph of "Shooting an Elephant," Orwell describes the elephant's demise after he has shot it with the rifle. That Orwell characterises this time period as a "long time" suggests, above all, that he feels instantly regretful of his decision to shoot the animal. It is important to remember that Orwell never wanted to kill the elephant but felt compelled to do so because of the huge crowd behind him:


To come all that...

In this paragraph of "Shooting an Elephant," Orwell describes the elephant's demise after he has shot it with the rifle. That Orwell characterises this time period as a "long time" suggests, above all, that he feels instantly regretful of his decision to shoot the animal. It is important to remember that Orwell never wanted to kill the elephant but felt compelled to do so because of the huge crowd behind him:



To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing - no, that was impossible.



In addition, Orwell's response to the time period is symbolic of his natural sense of justice and fairness. It is not that he is "squeamish" about seeing an animal die but, in fact, that killing the elephant seems like "murder" to him. This is because he knows that the elephant is simply having its "must" and will calm down soon enough. Words like "sagged" and "flabbily" also support this view because they characterise the elephant like an overweight and elderly person, not like a predator who must be shot.


But Orwell knew that the crowd would never accept this explanation and that he had to act as they expected. But, in doing so, Orwell became the imperialist that he truly hated. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

What gift did Della buy for Jim and why in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which... Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.  Della is still willing to sell her hair so she can b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more