Analysis of Shooting an Elephant

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Orwell’s comments were not only applicable to the British. Orwell is conveying the differences between free will and freedom. Free will can be defined as: “The right, given to humans by God, to make their own decisions.” A man’s free will cannot be destroyed by any power other than God. Humans can always exercise their free will when making decisions. However, when their decisions come in conflict with the laws set by a higher power, they might face consequences based on how they choose to use their free will. The more restrictions imposed upon someone’s free will, the more restricted their ability to make decisions become. The extent to which someone may exercise their free will can be defined as their freedom. Although no power can destroy free will, they can limit and even destroy someone’s freedom. In the essay, Shooting and Elephant, George Orwell argues that, “when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” Free will is indestructible. An example of Orwell’s destruction of freedom but preservation of free will is given in this essay. According to Orwell, his freedom was destroyed when he took the role of the tyrant. His job was a sub-divisional police officer in Burma. A crisis arose in which he was faced with a hard decision to make. An elephant had gone on a rampage in the village and had destroyed countless huts and even killed a man. When Orwell came upon the elephant, it was clear to him that it had calmed down and that the elephant would cause no more harm to anyone. Orwell was faced with a decision to either shoot the beast or wait until his master returned to get him. However, this decision was made much more complicated. Orwell was surrounded by two thousand Burmans who were watching him as they would “watch a conjurer about to perform a magic trick.” In the essay, Orwell explains: “I perceived in this moment that when the

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