Shooting an Elephant
Shooting an Elephant, was written by George Orwell who recounts a situation from his life when he was around twenty years during which he was required to demonstrate how powerful he was as an army (Orwell 8). Later on, the episode seems to be haunting him. The story occurred at some time during the unhappy years in which Orwell spends as the British police officer in Burma. He derides his lifestyle in Burma, and when he is faced with the moral dilemma on whether to help the locals or not. This demonstrates that values such as commitment are likely to guide one in making a choice and also encourage one to perform a given duty.
Orwell's Belief about Imperialism
Orwell original belief upon arriving in Burma as the British Military Police Officer was that imperialism is an evil thing and one should get out of it. Furthermore, Orwell hated the kind of job he was doing as a military officer because one could see the dirty work of the empire.
The Source of Orwell's Belief
The source of the belief was from the fact that Orwell by time was a young man he was ill-educated and was not able to talk about the problem he was experiencing at Burma. Also, he had already made his mind concerning the idea of imperialism and how people were experiencing many problems due to colonialism.
The Changing Belief
The experience that changed Orwell's believe about imperialism was about the relationship between the Burmese people together with the oppressors (Orwell 12). Their relationship was considered not to be cordial this is evident when the white lady dared to venture into the market, and the natives would spite betel juice on her, and this demonstrates how the locals were harsh on the colonial. Also, Orwell experiences the same when he was in the football field in which he was stripped up by the Burmese players as an indication of their dislike to the European people (Orwell 15).
The Failure of Imperialism
Orwell's new belief was that despite the high level of imperialism in Burma, the colonialism failed to take control of the natives as they needed. Therefore, several bullets prove inadequate to kill the big animals which provide one trumpet over the other. It illustrates that imperialists stands to gain nothing but causes hatred which might last longer compared to the empire.
The Power of People
Orwell's experience demonstrates that power can come from people and not necessarily individuals holding the powers. This is because the behavior and character of people and its adverse impact is most evident in how people interact with leaders. This is because the more the imperials perpetrated, this pushed the locals to be more stubborn to the colonials. The hatred continued to grow, and this caused more retaliation from the local people. On the other hand, the location of power as held by individuals can as well be perceived to be essential and need consideration to minimize resistance. Hence, the locals win because the colonials vented their frustration using other means and the British find it more challenging to retaliate back(Orwell 23). It is therefore clear that people with power should live up to their expectations for them to keep the power they have. Orwell's understands better that he has the power to kill the elephant and for that reason, he can make himself fit the key role of a killer. As a result, power is more likely to influence how people act to specific issues, which confirms the Orwell idea and concept that power can describe the human nature of a person.
Work cited
Orwell, George. Shooting an Elephant. McClelland "Stewart.2016.Print
