It is 1936 you are in Asia, Burma, you are the only white officer for miles to come. You are in a foreign land still learning the language, and constantly mocked by the locals, but then an opportunity comes so that you can become a hero. George Orwell had the same exact experience and shares it in shooting an Elephant where he is forced into a situation that can cause him to be praised or hated. In this story we see how Orwell is placed into a situation where he torn between pleasing the people of Burma, his personal morals, and the safety of others. It would be hard for most people seeing an elephant just roaming around peacefully, and then being told that you must kill the peaceful giant in order to provide safety and justices. Once Orwell picked up the gun and headed towards the Elephant he kept thinking about the rewards or major dilemmas that was ahead of him, but everything had changed once he got to the place and looked at the elephant. It is hard for anyone to live in a foreign land where one is still grasping at the language. From Orwell experience, we can really feel what it’s like to be the outsider. Orwell was mocked around the city constantly living in a place where no-one wanted him, in his Shooting an Elephant he says “sneering yellow faces of young men met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe distance” (Orwell 1) it is safe to assume that Orwell was strongly mocked and that it would be hard to please anyone in the city. As Orwell headed toward the elephant he thought that he could please everyone by shooting this giant. Orwell thought that the people would show more respect towards him instead of loathing him. That if Orwell went through with killing an elephant he would have satisfied the people, but not only satisfying them but himself. Once Orwell saw the elephant the Burmese people were already waiting to see the kill, peering pressuring him, making it hard for him to turn around. Everyone has their own set of morals, but it is their choice if they want to follow them. In Orwell case he wanted to strongly follow his moral code. As Orwell watched the elephant it was clear to him that he didn’t want to shoot something that was being peaceful, an elephant that was “beating his bunch of grass against his knees” (Orwell 3). It was a hard choice for Orwell he didn’t
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So when an immediate danger surfaces police officer are usually the first ones to respond to the threat. It is then up to the officer if the threat needs to be put down, restrained, or left alone. Orwell was called out of help to take kill a rampaging elephant that was destroying the city, but once he saw the elephant it was aimlessly wandering the jungle hurting no-one. But since this elephant was already known to cause damage, Orwell knew it was possible that the elephant could charge again killing multiple people. So Orwell thought about not only the elephant’s life, but the people he is supposed to be severing and protecting. Orwell is placed in a tough choice where he can put down the threat or leave it alone. But in the end of it all Orwell is a police officer, he must think of the safety of himself and the people behind
So when an immediate danger surfaces police officer are usually the first ones to respond to the threat. It is then up to the officer if the threat needs to be put down, restrained, or left alone. Orwell was called out of help to take kill a rampaging elephant that was destroying the city, but once he saw the elephant it was aimlessly wandering the jungle hurting no-one. But since this elephant was already known to cause damage, Orwell knew it was possible that the elephant could charge again killing multiple people. So Orwell thought about not only the elephant’s life, but the people he is supposed to be severing and protecting. Orwell is placed in a tough choice where he can put down the threat or leave it alone. But in the end of it all Orwell is a police officer, he must think of the safety of himself and the people behind