When I started reading the essay Shooting An Elephant by George Orwell, I didn't like the narrator. The narrator works as a policeman for the British in the country of Burma, a colony of Great Britain. The narrator begins the story by stating that he believed imperialism was wrong. The oppression he sees every day is not a good thing. He is in constant confusion due to the injustices that surround him. The narrator does not like Burmese locals. The narrator does not like being in Burma. The Burmese people also don't like his presence. The locals harass the narrator and make fun of him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay My conclusion at the end of the essay was that the narrator was a coward for shooting the elephant. He only shot the Elephant because he didn't want to be made fun of. He also had to deal with peer pressure from the huge crowd following him, I believed that if the Narrator had instead chosen not to shoot the Elephant, he would have been held in higher esteem. Furthermore, he also had the choice not to work for a country that Britain held the most power at the time. The Industrial Revolution allowed many countries like Great Britain to gain a lot of money and power. These countries began to occupy and colonize several countries. There was a big gap between the haves and the have-nots. All imperialism favors the annihilation of culture. It promotes racism and ethnic division. As I read Shooting An Elephant for the second time, no date is given in the story. Imperialism did not end but continues to this day. Instead of using bullets and brutality, today we use economy. My opinions of the Narrator began to change. The narrator provides a little context of his feelings. However, did you have any feelings before going to Burma hoping to make changes for the better for the country of Burma? Is the narrator similar to a soldier who joined the army with idealistic visions to serve his country, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, only to become disillusioned when the reality of war sunk in? The setting of the story may be different. However, today we still have countries occupied by external forces. It's never over. I initially thought the Narrator was a coward, but was he really? The opinion of Shooting an Elephant would be viewed very differently based on the present day, regardless of the setting or the narrator's job as a policeman representing his country. The narrator states: "Because at the time I had already decided that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I quit my job, the better. The narrator goes on to describe the brutality he witnessed. Prisoners in cages and on some scars from flogging as punishment. My first impression was: How could the Narrator continue his assignment knowing it was wrong? “As for the job I was doing, I hated it more bitterly than I can explain. I believe the narrator had so many doubts about himself and no clear direction on what to do Secondly, he represented his country and nationalism is taught to everyone at a young age as it is today. Can a military soldier leave because of a job or duty he was assigned? I believe the main reason is his desire to be appreciated and respected which prevails over any sense of guilt or morality that he claimed to have. “Because it is the condition of his government that he will spend his life trying to.
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