British Literature an Elephant Shooting

British Literature an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant is an essay written in 1936 by George Orwell about shooting an elephant in British controlled Burma, where Orwell served as an Imperial Policeman. What makes this story unique is the fact that it is written by one who served as an imperialist, controlling the subjected people, but who has a strong interest in the lives of the native people. Although he was obliged to enforce the imperial laws of the British Empire, he ultimately disagreed with them as he had a strong distaste for totalitarian regimes.

This story is told from the perspective of a police officer during a period of intense anti-British sentiment. This narrator is trapped between his feelings of sympathies for the Burmese and his obligation enforce the imperial empire's will. While on a mission to shoot a dangerous elephant, he comes to the realization that "if one empire enslaves another, it places itself in a position of authority from which it cannot escape."

This story is an anti-imperialist essay that shows the feeling of being trapped "between my hatred of the empire I served...and to be an absurd puppet pushed to and from by the will of those yellow faces behind." The narrator comes to conclude that when the white man "turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys." In the end, the essay is in fact an appeal to the British to cease colonialism in order to maintain their own freedom.

E.M. Forster's the Life to Come, on the other hand, is a tale divided into four parts: Night, Evening, Day and Morning. Its main character is a young missionary by the name of Paul Pinmay who is sent to spread the word of Christ to the native people. All prior attempts to proselytise these people have failed. During his attempt he meets with the tribal chief, who approaches him to learn more about "this god whose name is Love." The two then sleep together and the tribe becomes Christian.