Imperialism In Lower Burma Essay - 1515 Words

n Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people — the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me. I was sub-divisional police officer of the town, and in an aimless, petty kind of way anti-European feeling was very bitter. No one had the guts to raise a riot, but if a European woman went through the bazaars alone somebody would probably spit betel juice over her dress. As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so. When a nimble Burman tripped me up on the football field and the referee (another Burman) looked the other way, the crowd yelled with hideous laughter. This happened more than once. In the end the sneering yellow faces of young†¦show more content†¦All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible. With one part of my mind I thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny, as something clamped down, in saecula saeculorum, upon the will of prostrate peoples; with another part I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest s guts. Feelings like these are the normal by-products of imperialism; ask any Anglo-Indian official, if you can catch him off duty. One day something happened which in a roundabout way was enlightening. It was a tiny incident in itself, but it gave me a better glimpse than I had had before of the real nature of imperialism — the real motives for which despotic governments act. Early one morning the sub-inspector at a police station the other end of the town rang me up on the phone and said that an elephant was ravaging the bazaar. Would I please come and do something about it? I did not know what I could do, but I wanted to see what was happening and I got on to a pony and started out. I took my rifle, an old .44 Winchester and much too small to kill an elephant, but I thought the noise might be useful in terrorem. Various Burmans stopped me on the way and told me about the elephant s doings. It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one which had gone ‘must’. It had been chained up, as tame elephants always are whenShow MoreRelatedGeorge Orwells Style of Writing Essay example1038 Wor ds   |  5 PagesJust by a simple glance at George Orwells style of writing one can grasp a lot. He first starts the essay by discussing how the narrator was poorly treated in Lower Burma when serving as a police officer. More specifically the narrator states, I was hated by large numbers of people,, and anti-European feeling was very bitter. From there one could interpret that although he was a British soldier with much power he was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so. He then goes into much detail andRead MoreBritish Imperialism In George Orwells Shooting An Elephant1042 Words   |  5 Pages Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell portrays the fictional life of Orwell during his time as sub-divisional police officer in Moulmein, Lower Burma. The essay unveils the identity crisis as a British man, where rising imperialism of British in Burma is becoming more dominant. The essay started off identifying who George Orwell was. A sub-divisional police officer of Moulmein, who developed a feeling of being anti-European towards the Burmese people. By claiming that no one is courageous enoughRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s The Elephant 1034 Words   |  5 PagesOrwell began the essay with his perspective on British domination. He stated that it is evil and alongside of that it is oppressive. He felt hatred and guilt toward himself and the Burmese people. The people of Burma did not feel threatened because the narrator of the story had killed the elephant. 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Since â€Å"anti-European feeling was very bitter† due to the British Empire’s dictatorship in Burma, Orwell is being treated disrespectfully by the Burmese (12). This allows him to hate his job and the British Empire. However, the incident of shooting of an elephant gives him a â€Å"better glimpse †¦ of the real nature of imperialism – the realR ead MoreWhy I Write: The Art of Writing Essays1249 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell in his essay â€Å"Why I write†, written in 1946 and published in London, addresses the reasons that made him become a writer and eventually sets four main general principles that are the main drive force for every piece of writing. â€Å"I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention and my initial concern is to get a hearing.† By showing his inner drive to write he portrays a greater picture about writing as he shows how one writes consciouslyRead MoreShooting an Elephant1125 Words   |  5 PagesShooting an elephant written by George Orwell brings to light the evil of imperialism. Being a police officer in the lower Burma, Orwell hated his job. The reason was because the people in Burma ridiculed, insulted and laughed at him whenever they felt safe to do so. Orwell opposed imperialism, and thus was able to feel the hatred of the people of Burma, but still resented them. The story starts with Orwell receiving a phone call about a tame elephant destroying bazaar. He carried with him an oldRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1272 Words   |  6 Pagesnarrator and the main character. Orwell’s narrative essay of 1936 takes place in squalid, British-occupied Moulmein, lower Burma. To begin, in the opening of his piece, Orwell describes himself as a young, British police officer who, ironically, despises the British imperial project in Burma. Although he secretly sides with the Burmese, he is resentful of the way they torment him. Eventually, a previously chained elephant is introduced to the essay. It is when this elephant escapes that it begins ravagingRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant1165 Words   |  5 Pagesoppressor in the British Empire. Orwell, having undergone a significant personal experience, illustrates his experience of imperialism and the resounding effects is has on the ethical cond uct and ideals of man, not only of the oppressed but also in regards of the oppressor. Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant’ attempts to convey the sacrifice of one’s morality in service of imperialism. Through the spread of the British Empire and the colonialization of the Burmese people, we view the overwhelming resentment