The Conquering of the Oppressor

1255 Words6 Pages
In the 1936 short story, Shooting an Elephant, written by Eric Blair under the pen name of George Orwell, he conveys to his readers not only an important political message concerning imperialism, but also a universal message that we all can relate to, and that is the influence that others have on us as an individual. With the use of a personal anecdote, he expresses his anger, shame and weakness in the tone of his writing regarding the treatment of the British Empire toward the Burmese and his own actions concerning these events. With his story, Orwell is trying to communicate, not only to the European nations, but a much larger audience, that imperialism does not only affect those who are oppressed in a negative way, but it is also harmful to the oppressor. Writing from the first person point of view, Orwell tells of the time when he worked for the British Empire as a sub-divisional police officer in Burma and the hatred that the Burmese felt toward him. He begins the story by stating, “…I was hated by large numbers of people – the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me”. (Orwell 1936) With this assertion, he expresses his personal knowledge of the events that are about to unfold and immediately has the reader asking why the Burmese hated him. Using analogies and direct quotes, Orwell tells us that imperialism is an “evil thing” and he conveys his dislike toward the Empire for its mistreatment of the Burmese. With detailed imagery, he gains the readers sympathy for the Burmese when he writes, “The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of lock-up, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who have been flogged with bamboos”. (Orwell1936) At the same time however, he also voices his resentment toward the Burmese, “the evil-spirited little beast”, (Orwell 1936) for their
Open Document