Symbolism In George Orwells Shooting An Elephant - 942 Words

In 1936, George Orwell, a prominent British novelist and police officer in lower Burma published an essay titled â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†. In this essay Orwell argues that imperialism ruins both the oppressor and the oppressed. Orwell furthers this claim with rhetorical devices to legitimize his work. Orwell uses sympathy to evoke feelings in the reader that are relatable, such as him working for something he does not believe in. Orwell also applies his perspective throughout the whole essay to allow for his thoughts to influence the readers thoughts. The final strategy Orwell used is deductive reasoning in deciding whether to kill the elephant. All of these devices are used in order to develop the purpose for Orwell writing this†¦show more content†¦Being a leader of a decision puts some pressure on you in some sense. The natives all turned to Orwell to make a decision and he felt as if he was a puppet not able to follow what he believed was right. The use o f sympathy is well used in this piece because it allows the reader to feel attachment to elements of the story. This also relates to Orwells overall message by showing how imperialism is causing disharmony among British officers by some not believing it is effective. Orwell’s second strategy that he uses is his perspective in order to gain credibility and trust in his writing (Ethos). In the essay the Orwell explains, â€Å"in a job like this you see the dirty work of the empire at close quarters† (Orwell 1). This quote gives an inside view of what it was like witnessing imperialism firsthand. Orwells perspective shines a unique light on how people would view colonialism differently if they experienced it through his perspective. By him describing the inner workings of the British empire it made him more credible because he was experiencing the events and then relaying them to his audience. This is an effective method of this strategy because the reader is much more likely to believe first person accounts for events rather than someone writing about these actions from an outside perspective. This also shows how imperialism ruins the oppressor because Britain is carrying out unjust acts due to theShow MoreRelatedRhetorical Analy sis Of George Orwell s Shooting An Elephant 1272 Words   |  6 PagesRhetorical Analysis of George Orwell’s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† George Orwell, a journalist and an author of 1903 through 1950, is not only the author of â€Å"Shooting an Elephant,† but surprisingly, he is also the narrator and the main character. Orwell’s narrative essay of 1936 takes place in squalid, British-occupied Moulmein, lower Burma. 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