Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell

Taken up in English 1 Class on December 09, 2011

The story of Shooting an Elephant is basically its title. Its setting is in Moulmein, Lower Burma. Its story revolves about George who was a police officer. Somehow, an elephant is wandering around the area, destroying fruit stands and getting into trouble with innocent bystanders. At some point, the elephant kills an Indian coolie. Once George brings out his rifle, a crowd forms. The crows cheers for George to kill the elephant. In a long and descriptive manner, George describes the killing and death of the elephant.

I've noticed a lot of unique elements he used in writing this short story. 

First, he put a great emphasis on the cultural diversity in Lower Burma at the time of the British Empire. It was almost bordering on discrimination, actually. He mentioned the Indians and the British. The "Yellow People" were the Burmans. He said that the Indians were poor and at the bottom of the society. As for the British Empire, he mentioned that he could not care less about them, but also said that the younger empires would not surpass the current British empire at that time. 

Second, his writing style is very much like my favorite author, James Patterson. There is a distinct cockiness that makes their stories exciting, different. I like how they make every single line sound witty. This specific writing style, in my opinion, changes a simple plot and makes it very interesting. He prolonged the death of the  elephant - which is a very James Patterson. Maybe he did this to entice the reader or focus on the main point of the story.

Third and last, George Orwell did a great job with this story. He wrote it in first person, which I believe is the best way to write a true story. This way, the reader can fully grasp the story and even feel what the author is feeling. I was actually cringing at his description of the death of the elephant. George also kind of annoyed me because he killed the elephant only because of the pressure the crowd had given him. At the end, I thought that he was a coward who could have saved an elephant's life. 

Overall, I liked the story. It was balanced, but at the same time excited. I am looking forward to reading more stories from George Orwell in the near future.