Topic > Racism and Imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant” and “How the Other Half Lives”

Travel writing was a powerful way to direct audiences to new places; some works will take you on an emotional roller coaster through the eyes of writers, to explore and experience new things, to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and become part of that community. Travel writers such as George Orwell and Jacob Riis both express their views towards other races in their works Shooting An Elephant and How the Other Half Lives. While travel writing is a way to gain some appreciation for other cultures, it has further provided evidence of white privilege through casual racism towards “exotics,” denoting them as barbaric and dangerous. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn George Orwell's short story "Shooting an Elephant," he tells readers about his struggles as a police officer in Burma and having to shoot an elephant to avoid looking stupid. The elephant in the story illustrates the enormous size of the empire and its power over the Burmese population. Throughout the story, Orwell focuses on the impact of British imperialism, both on behalf of the empire and on behalf of the locals. Because the empire holds power over other countries, the locals do not appreciate it, often giving white people looks with a sense of hatred. Even though Orwell wants to join the community, it is difficult for him, "the life of every white man in the East was a long struggle not to be laughed at". However, the death of a local man gave him a reason to shoot the elephant. In Shooting An Elephant he describes the act of shooting and the death of the elephant in harrowing detail, this is to show how influenced he is by the local people and wants to prove himself, to be able to assert dominance and gain respect from them, as a British colonist. Opinions on his actions were divided, some Europeans think that the elephant's life is worth more than that of a coolie and he should not have killed it; others think he did the right thing for the city and saved face. In that case, Orwell chooses to go against his will, to be part of that local community. He is aware that “when the white man becomes a tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys”. Although he shot the elephant simply to avoid looking like a fool, he made changes to the way people look at him and highlighted the conflict between moral conscience and written law. After all, he is part of the strongest force, it is his duty as a policeman to show authority and military supremacy. While Orwell is treated as an outsider in Asia, Rii on the other hand brings with her a strong sense of privilege. and pride as he travels through Chinatown in New York. Here Rii judges the Chinese for having their own culture and traditions rather than for assimilating to American standards. Throughout the story, Rii uses a tone of repulsion and a highly visual narrative to paint a vivid picture for us to see what the lifestyles were like in Chinatown; describes “Chinatown as a spectacle is disappointing”. According to him, the color red and yellow, the two bright colors of China, are not very welcoming to foreigners, "rather they seem to descend to the level of general dullness and glare at you from doors and windows." Rii also compares the "order" of Chinatown to that of some other neighborhoods and, as positive as the word "order" may seem, turns it into a suspicion that the Chinese are trying to fool the authorities into thinking there are no underage girls who work there. theirs,.