“Shooting an Elephant”

by George Orwell
 Why did Orwell write the text?
What was his purpose?

To convey to the reader his views and

opinions about imperialism and
colonialism.

To persuade/convince the reader to

adopt his views and opinions about
colonialism and imperialism.
 What are his main views and
opinions?

• Colonialism/imperialism is wrong.

• Colonialism/imperialism is futile (pointless).

• Colonialists mistreat and oppress the native

peoples.

• Colonialists were tyrannical and abused their

power.
 Main themes of the text

1. Imperialism
2. Racism and poverty
3. Oppression
4. Anonymity
 Theme 1: imperialism

Orwell highlights the serious

repercussions/negative consequences of
imperialism on the Burmese
people/Burmese society.
He emphasises that imperialism is
fundamentally wrong. He is greatly
opposed to it.
 “destroyed somebody’s bamboo hut,
killed a cow, raided some fruit stores”

• Use of symbolism.
(the escaped elephant is a symbol of the
British Empire and its tyrannical rule).

Orwell is emphasising the brutally

destructive impact of the Empire on
Burma/the Burmese people.
Just as the elephant has ruined and
demolished parts of the town, so too has
the British Empire had a ruinous and
destructive impact on the countries it
conquered and ruled.

The British have exploited the Burmese

people for their own gain, reaping the
benefits of the country’s resources.
However, in doing so, the country has
been significantly weakened and left in
state of poverty.
 “had no weapons, were quite
helpless against it”

Orwell emphasises that the Burmese people

were too weak and feeble to prevent the
British from dominating and subjugating
them. They do not have the means to
defeat the British Empire and expel the
British colonisers from their lands.
Metaphor
The British Empire is being compared to the
escaped elephant.

Just as the elephant was powerful, strong and

unstoppable, so too were the Burmese people
unable to prevent the British colonisers from
conquering them, exploiting them and imposing
their own culture and values.
 “imperialism was an evil thing”
Word choice
“Evil”
Even though Orwell is British and is
employed by the British Empire, he still
believes that imperialism is inherently
wicked, malicious, ruthless, abominable,
immoral. It has no moral or ethical
justification. It has no redeeming qualities
whatsoever.
Theme 2: racism and poverty

Orwell suggests that the Burmese people

were forced to endure poverty and racism
at the hands of their British colonisers.
 “the owner was furious, but he was
only an Indian and could do nothing”
.
• Highlights the racist views of the British
colonisers and the racism that the Burmese
natives had to ensure during British rule. The
Empire was institutionally racist. The Burmese
people were discriminated against due to their
nationality and race. The British colonisers
regarded themselves as being racially, culturally
and intellectually superior to the natives.
“only an Indian”
The Burmese people were regarded by the
British as being unimportant, insignificant,
irrelevant, less than human, inferior,
worthless, not worthy of respect, low-
ranking, low on the social hierarchy.
“could do nothing”
Under British rule, the Burmese people had
no power, no influence, no control over
their own country. They were helpless and
completely dominated by the British
colonisers.
 “stripped his body almost to the
bones by afternoon”

Word choice.

Orwell highlights the impoverished state of the

Burmese people.
They are so poor that every part of the carcass of
the dead elephant becomes an important source
of income for them.
They have been reduced to this level of desperation
and poverty due to being exploited and
subjugated by the British colonisers.
 Theme 3: oppression

• The Burmese people are oppressed by the

British Empire as their freedom is removed.

• Orwell is oppressed by the British Empire as he

is forced into doing something that he does not
wish to do (killing the elephant). The British
Empire forces him into acting against his own
conscience. He is forced to do something which
he believes is morally wrong.
 “Powerless to move, and yet
powerless to die”

Symbolism
The elephant is used to represent the
Burmese people.

Just as the elephant is trapped and

immobile due to its injuries, so too were
the Burmese people unable to escape the
control and dominance of their colonisers.
The Burmese people had no choice but to
endure the hardship, mistreatment and
loss of freedom that was imposed on them
by the tyrannical and dictatorial rule of the
British Empire.
They lacked the means by which to fight
back against the British and regain their
liberty and dignity.
 “only an absurd puppet”
Metaphor.

Just as a puppet is controlled and

manipulated by a puppeteer, so too did
Orwell believe that he was
forced/pressurised into performing certain
acts due to his employment in the British
Empire.
Orwell makes it clear that he does not want
to shoot and kill the elephant but feels that
he must perform his duty as a member of
the imperial police. He feels that he has
been forced into committing an act of
murder in order to satisfy his superiors. He
feels that he has no choice but to obey: he
has no freedom to decide for himself and
has no control over his own actions. He is
not allowed or able to judge for himself
whether or not he should kill the elephant.
Orwell also feels pressured into killing the elephant
by the crowd, who are actively encouraging him.
He realises that he must kill the animal in order to
maintain his authority over them, and maintain
their respect.
The provocative behaviour of the crowd/ the power
of the mob also mean that Orwell does not have
the freedom to act according to what he believes
is morally correct. He succumbs to their
pressure.
 Theme 4: anonymity

Orwell’s description of the Burmese people

highlights how the British Empire oppressed
the natives by stripping them of their identity
and making them anonymous. The people
were dehumanised by the process of being
colonised.
Orwell reveals his own racism, prejudice,
contempt and disdain towards the Burmese
people. His own views reflect how the
Burmese people were viewed as being
inferior by the British Empire.
 “a sea of yellow faces”
Metaphor.

Orwell suggests that the Burmese people are not

worthy of being seen as individuals in their own
right: they are just a crowd of nameless, faceless,
unremarkable people.
Orwell does not regard them as being important
enough to have their own identity or voice. Orwell
denies them their individuality. Their personality,
background, opinions are not important to him as,
from his perspective, they are inferior human
beings.
He describes them as being “yellow”
throughout the text. This emphasises that
he believes that the most significant thing
about them is the colour of their skin.

The word “yellow” also has negative

connotations of unpleasant, unhealthy,
illness. This could reflect his racist views
towards the Burmese people.