Shooting an Elephant

SHOOTING AN ELEPHANT George Orwell’s service as a member of the imperial police in Moulmein in lower Burma from 1922 to 1927 produced in him a sense of guilt about the British colonial rule in the sub-continent and the evils it let loose. A feeling grew in him that he must make some kind of expiation foe the injustice and cruelty carried on by the British raj. His bitter attitude towards the British imperialism has got …

…killing of an animal which went mad. Furthermore, the killing provided moments of excitement and ecstasy for his natives. As a social and political critic he could not abide by anything forced upon humanity and he insists upon finding and examining the sensible buses for attitude. His essay ‘shooting an elephant’ is a remarkable one as it examines and invites the readers to reconsider the total truth about the British colonial rule in the sub-continent.