Shooting an elephant
Shooting an elephantIn Orwell’s essay “Shooting An Elephant” he describes the way he felt about the decisions he had to make and the pressure he was put under by all of the people around him. He emphasizes the fact of him being a police officer that was put in a situation that entitled him to make the people of his town feel safe and secure about the life that they were living. It was clear that Orwell did not enjoy his job, as a matter of fact he hated it. The type of things that went on everyday really angered him and made him realize how much he disliked his situation. Nevertheless, he did have a job to do and that required him to do things that he might not have normally done.
Orwell discusses the time he had in the town when a wild elephant got loose and was terrorizing the town’s bizarre. He was sent to the location of the elephant and was forced to make a decision that would determine possibly how he was looked upon by all people from that day forth. Orwell was not the kind to just simply kill something for the mere fact of joy and amusement. He did not want to kill the animal for being wild and dangerous towards the people. He seemed to try to convince himself that all animals go through this stage, however he could not face the fact that the people would think of him as a coward. Orwell made it obvious that he did not feel that it was the right thing to do. However he also brought it to the reader’s attention that the reason he did kill the elephant was because he felt he couldn't face the people if he didn't. He says, “To come all that way rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away having done nothing—no, that was impossible(page 210).” It seems as if Orwell feared he would be thought of as a coward if he did not kill the animal.
I have been in a similar situation to the one that Orwell encountered with the elephant. There have been many times in my life that I have felt the...
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