Free Essays on Shooting An Elephant

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell was an interesting peace to read. I thought that it was very descriptive and a good story. I thought that the moral of the story fits well into today’s society. It sounded like the only reason the man shot the elephant was to uphold is image for the natives. â€Å"To come all this way with rifle in hand †¦ having done nothing – no, that is impossible. The crowed would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man’s life in the east, was one long struggle not to be laughed at.† I got from this was that he had to shoot the elephant because he came all this way with his rifle and there was no backing out now or he was loose respect and show that he is weak to the natives. I have seen this in today’s society with people doing things that they know is not right or not good for them just to fit in or have a certain group like them. I thought a very good example of this was smoking. Everyone knows that it is bad for them, but they still do it. Some people do it just to look cool or to fit in. People in gangs do things that are bad so people will be afraid or â€Å"not mess with them†. I thought that the last paragraph was ironic because of how he did not want to shoot the elephant when he did; the elephant had a long miserable death. I think it was hard for the guy to watch the elephant die like that. He did everything he could to try to kill the elephant as fast a possible but nothing worked.... Free Essays on Shooting An Elephant Free Essays on Shooting An Elephant Shooting an Elephant: Orwell’s Insecurities Prompted the Murder of a Defenseless Animal The short story â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†, by George Orwell, is a narration that subtly discusses Orwell’s motives for killing an escaped elephant. As a sub-division officer for imperialist Britain in 1936, Orwell attempts to keep the favor of the native townspeople where he is stationed and to avoid humiliation. The townspeople of Burma neither favored nor respected Orwell until an event occurred that would allow a character opinion to be made. The event was a disruptance where he had to shoot an elephant for the alleged safety of the public. Orwell is not motivated to kill the elephant for the safety of the public, but by his fear of his own insecurities that plague him. Orwell is uniquely susceptible to peer pressure and pressed forward to action through humility. Upon initial assessment of the situation that would test the strength of Orwell’s character he concludes â€Å"at that distance, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow. I thought then and I think now that his attack of "must" was already passing off; in which case he would merely wander harmlessly about until the mahout came back and caught him. Moreover, I did not in the least want to shoot him†(4) proving when left to his free will and choice Orwell is a person of strong moral fiber. Orwell’s main insecurity is the fear of humiliation. The laughter and â€Å"jeering† of the Burmese people are a source of apprehension for Orwell. As a peace officer in an otherwise subordinate country, Orwell is subjected to laughter on many occasions. One of his first exposures to humiliation occurred at a football match when â€Å"the crowd yelled with hideous laughter†¦ In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men met me everywhere, the insults ... Free Essays on Shooting An Elephant Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell was an interesting peace to read. I thought that it was very descriptive and a good story. I thought that the moral of the story fits well into today’s society. It sounded like the only reason the man shot the elephant was to uphold is image for the natives. â€Å"To come all this way with rifle in hand †¦ having done nothing – no, that is impossible. The crowed would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man’s life in the east, was one long struggle not to be laughed at.† I got from this was that he had to shoot the elephant because he came all this way with his rifle and there was no backing out now or he was loose respect and show that he is weak to the natives. I have seen this in today’s society with people doing things that they know is not right or not good for them just to fit in or have a certain group like them. I thought a very good example of this was smoking. Everyone knows that it is bad for them, but they still do it. Some people do it just to look cool or to fit in. People in gangs do things that are bad so people will be afraid or â€Å"not mess with them†. I thought that the last paragraph was ironic because of how he did not want to shoot the elephant when he did; the elephant had a long miserable death. I think it was hard for the guy to watch the elephant die like that. He did everything he could to try to kill the elephant as fast a possible but nothing worked....