Narration: The story is a first-person narrative in which the narrator describes his confused state of mind and his inability to decide and act without hesitation. Because “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell is an essay, it contains its own thesis, which is an argument about the nature of imperialism. Shooting an elephant thesis. Another feeling is that he bitterly hates his job in the British police: "I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear." The essay delves into an inner conflict that Orwell experiences in his role of representing the British Empire and upholding the law. Orwell's thesis is that when a white man becomes a tyrant, it is his own freedom that he loses. Throughout this assay the tone varies on how Orwell feels about each of the events going on in the story. Start your 48-hour free trial and unlock all the summaries, Q&A, and analyses you need to get better grades now. As a white man who has become a tyrant in Burma, he has lost his own freedom. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. The older men said I was right, the younger men said it was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more.... Top subjects are Literature, Social Sciences, and History. Among the Europeans opinion was divided. In the end of the essay, Orwell is relieved and demonstrates this by saying “l was very glad that the collie had been killed; it put me legally in the right and it gave me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant” (415). One feeling is that he hates the empire he serves. Your IP: 149.56.22.10 A piece of literature can have more than one theme, even though it usually has a main theme. He is relieved because he only killed the elephant because he felt pressure by the “natives”, which is not legal reason to shoot and kill an elephant. The most obvious theme in Shooting an Elephant deals with the culture clash between the British and the Burmese, and the prejudice and lack of tolerance that results from this culture clash. When he goes out to kill the elephant and says, “l had no intention of shooting the elephant – had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself if necessary – and it is always unnerving to have a crowd following you” (41 1), there is a lack of grammatical sequence. Orwell's thesis is that when a white man becomes a tyrant, it is his own freedom that he loses. Orwell's thesis can be paraphrased as stating that imperialism tears apart and out the heart and soul of both peoples--the oppressors' heart and soul and the oppressed's--and is well encapsulated in the following long quotation that both ends his background introduction (necessary to establish time, place and mood) and leads into the heart of his narration: All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible. One these of Orwell's short story "Shooting an Elephant" is the effect of the masses on the individual. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. your own paper. However, in a narrative essay like this one, framing the background to establish setting and mood is critical: the suspenseful and emotional impact of the conclusion (of the point) would be weaker--less gripping--without the orientation to how, where, when and why. When Orwell states “when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. I'm assuming that you mean theme rather than thesis. He describes the image, “To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people arching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing – no, that was impossible” (412). Orwell hates his job because imperialism has negatively affected him, as well as others around him. But, after realizing the elephant had killed a collie that could be the legal reason for killing the elephant. The elephant is not in proximity to any people and appears to have settled down. Essay, Use multiple resourses when assembling your essay, Get help form professional writers when not sure you can do it yourself, Use Plagiarism Checker to double check your essay, Do not copy and paste free to download essays. In case you can’t find a sample example, our professional writers are ready to help you with writing Top subjects are Literature and Social Sciences. Orwell writes, "when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys," which is probably the clearest statement of how he feels about British imperialism. The comparison of the blood of an elephant to the red velvet symbolizes the British Empire’s wealth. Orwell hates his job because imperialism has negatively affected him, as well as others around him. Top subjects are Literature, Social Sciences, and Business. If you go to the enotes link of Shooting an Elephant, you will find some more ideas for thesis statements. The situation of shooting of an elephant gives him a real look of the real nature and evils of imperialism. However, apart from imperialism and its effects on local life, the essay is also about how the inherent evil of imperialism is destroying the freedom of both the oppressor and the oppressed. When a powerful nation exploits the people of another country, the resulting tension causes everyone to become somewhat savage. Log in here. I was young and ill-educated and I had had to think out my problems in the utter silence that is imposed on every Englishman in the East." We see the loss of freedom when he is forced to shoot the elephant for the Burmese people even though he doesn't personally think it's necessary. In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe distance, got badly on my nerves… None of them seemed to have anything to do except stand on street corners and ere at Europeans” (407-408).
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