TENDO MATTHEW NDAWULA, Grade 12
UWCEA Moshi Campus
If someone were to ask the question-what book do you genuinely love, I’d be stuck because there are so many. However, after thinking about it long enough I would conclude that I love shooting an elephant. Shooting an Elephant is an essay written by the famous George Orwell. George Orwell also known as Eric Arthur Blair is an English novelist, essayist and critic who was born in eastern India in 1903(Britannica). After resigning from the Indian Imperial police in Burma 1927 (Modern day Myanmar), he moved to Paris where he began his writing career and published his first book “Down and Out in Paris and London”. Following this, he would go on to write his most famous political fables “Animal Farm” and “nineteen eighty-four” during the 1940s (BBC)
Although Orwell was most famous for his novels, he wrote a number of essays that contributed to the body of work that made him an important figure of the twentieth century. My favourite being shooting an elephant, where Orwell details his life as a colonialist officer in Burma. Orwell begins by describing the hate he is confronted with in Burma as an officer and shortly thereafter expresses how he is own the wrong side of history through a description of the inhumane tortures carried out by the British officers(Lit Priest). Later in the essay he describes how he is forced by the Burmese crowd(the same crowd that hates him) to shoot an elephant that had just killed a local. Despite his reluctance Orwell became a sort of “puppet” who had to carry out the shooting because he did not want to look like a fool and have the crowd laughing at him(Lit Priest). What truly stands out in this essay that makes it one of my favourites is one Orwell’s ability to convey the message of control through an intriguing and lucid manner. It can be argued that the entire essay was an allegory of the power dynamics within British colonial rule, exposing the fact that individuals such as Orwell are puppeted into acting outside of their norms (Litcharts)
Life is all about perspectives and understanding perspectives. Through Shooting an elephant we receive a perspective of colonialism that is out of the norm. The essay shows us that British imperialism did not only harm those that were conquered but also those that were forced to conquer. This essay therefore has played an important role in the way I view certain issues. Being African, it is simple for me to believe that all colonialists are evil, but through reading Orwells piece I understand that it is not the case for absolutely everyone. Now this is not an apology for those who accepted to be colonialist officers; it is rather an important lesson that I have learned.The lesson I have learned is that before I Generalise, I must first be widely informed with perspective that I want to hear and those that I would rather trash in the bin.
Finally, the reason I love this essay is because it broke a bias that I had and replaced it with a better informed bias( it's hard not to be). I would highly recommend this essay to anyone, because it is well-written and touches on the contentious issue of colonialism through a different lens. A lens that many fail to digest.
References
Britannica. "George Orwell | Biography, Books, Real Name, Political Views, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Orwell.
Cliffnotes. 2022, https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/n/1984/george-orwell-biography.
Lit Priest. "Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell Summary & Analysis". Lit Priest, 2022, https://litpriest.com/essays/shooting-an-elephant-summary-analysis/.
Litcharts. "“Shooting An Elephant” Summary & Analysis | Litcharts". Litcharts, 2022, https://www.litcharts.com/lit/shooting-an-elephant/summary-and-analysis.
BBC. "BBC - History - Historic Figures: George Orwell (1903 - 1950)". Bbc.Co.Uk, 2022, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/orwell_george.shtml.
Although Orwell was most famous for his novels, he wrote a number of essays that contributed to the body of work that made him an important figure of the twentieth century. My favourite being shooting an elephant, where Orwell details his life as a colonialist officer in Burma. Orwell begins by describing the hate he is confronted with in Burma as an officer and shortly thereafter expresses how he is own the wrong side of history through a description of the inhumane tortures carried out by the British officers(Lit Priest). Later in the essay he describes how he is forced by the Burmese crowd(the same crowd that hates him) to shoot an elephant that had just killed a local. Despite his reluctance Orwell became a sort of “puppet” who had to carry out the shooting because he did not want to look like a fool and have the crowd laughing at him(Lit Priest). What truly stands out in this essay that makes it one of my favourites is one Orwell’s ability to convey the message of control through an intriguing and lucid manner. It can be argued that the entire essay was an allegory of the power dynamics within British colonial rule, exposing the fact that individuals such as Orwell are puppeted into acting outside of their norms (Litcharts)
Life is all about perspectives and understanding perspectives. Through Shooting an elephant we receive a perspective of colonialism that is out of the norm. The essay shows us that British imperialism did not only harm those that were conquered but also those that were forced to conquer. This essay therefore has played an important role in the way I view certain issues. Being African, it is simple for me to believe that all colonialists are evil, but through reading Orwells piece I understand that it is not the case for absolutely everyone. Now this is not an apology for those who accepted to be colonialist officers; it is rather an important lesson that I have learned.The lesson I have learned is that before I Generalise, I must first be widely informed with perspective that I want to hear and those that I would rather trash in the bin.
Finally, the reason I love this essay is because it broke a bias that I had and replaced it with a better informed bias( it's hard not to be). I would highly recommend this essay to anyone, because it is well-written and touches on the contentious issue of colonialism through a different lens. A lens that many fail to digest.
References
Britannica. "George Orwell | Biography, Books, Real Name, Political Views, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Orwell.
Cliffnotes. 2022, https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/n/1984/george-orwell-biography.
Lit Priest. "Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell Summary & Analysis". Lit Priest, 2022, https://litpriest.com/essays/shooting-an-elephant-summary-analysis/.
Litcharts. "“Shooting An Elephant” Summary & Analysis | Litcharts". Litcharts, 2022, https://www.litcharts.com/lit/shooting-an-elephant/summary-and-analysis.
BBC. "BBC - History - Historic Figures: George Orwell (1903 - 1950)". Bbc.Co.Uk, 2022, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/orwell_george.shtml.
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