5-shooting-an-elephant

ShootinganElephantGeorgeOrwellAcollectionofeighteenessaysbytheauthor.NineteenEightyFourAnimalFarmAbstract“ShootinganElephantisoneofthemostpopularofGeorgeOrwell'sessays.Likehisessays“Ahanging”andHowthePoorDie”,itischieflyautobiographical.Itdealswithhisexperienceasapolice-officerinBurma.Afterhavingcompletedhiseducation,OrwelljoinedtheIndianImperialPolice,andservedinBurma,from1922to1927,asanAssistantSuperintendentofPolice.HisexperiencesasanofficerinBurmawerebitter.Inthestorythewritergaveusfivevividscenesasfollows.A.ThesceneofthewriterbeingjeeredbythelocalsB.ThesceneofthewretchedprisonersC.ThesceneofthedeadIndiancoolieD.Thesceneofpeople’sfollowingwhenwriterwasreadytoshoottheelephantE.Thesceneofthedyingelephant’sfinalstruggleBackgroundinformation:BritainconqueredBurma(缅甸)overaperiodofsixty-twoyears,duringwhichthreeAnglo-BurmeseWarstookplaceandBritainincorporateditintoitsIndianEmpire.BurmawasadministratedasaprovinceofIndiauntil1937whenitbecameaseparate,self-governingcolony.GeorgeOrwellwrotethestoryin1936,whichisaverytimeforBurmesehavinggreathatredtowardBritain.It’saperiodofintenseanti-Europeansentiment.Summaryofthetext:GeorgeOrwellwritesofhisexperienceinBritish-ruledIndiaintheearlyTwentiethCentury.Atthetime,hewasayoung,inexperiencedsoldierstationedtheretohelpprotecttheQueen’sinterests.Orwellhadtokillanelephantthathadrunrampantinlustthroughoutavillage.Initswakeitdestroyedatruck,ahut,andavillager.Thevillagerswereobviouslyupsetandhewascalledupontorestoretheorderbeforeanything,oranyone,washurt.Throughoutthecourseoftheadventure,hedecidedthatitwasbesttokilltheanimal.Hisreasonsfordoingso,however,werenotasclear-cut.Hesaidhisultimatedecisionwastonotlookbadinfrontofthevillagers;thatgavehimadegreeofshame.Theme:Thetextisanarration,politicalessay.Orwellleavesnodoubtabouthisfeelingsconcerningcolonialism,imperialismanditsresults.HehasshownthereaderhowBurmesewastreatedaslessthananimal.ThesufferingandmiseryofthecolonialpeopleinBurmamadethewriterealizetherealnatureofimperialism.Thewritergiversdescriptionsbyexamples.Theobjectivepresentationsofexamplesshowthatthepeopleincolonialcountriesareinmiserableoccasions.Intheprocessofshootingtheelephant,GeorgeOrwellgraspedthehollowness,thefutilityofthewhiteman’sdominionintheEast.Heperceivedinthismomentthatwhenthewhitemanturnstyrantitishisownfreedomthathedestroys.Style:In“ShootinganElephant,Orwellconveyshismessagethroughtheuseofvariouspersuasivetools.Hewantsthereadertoidentifywhensomebodyassumespower.Variouspersuasivetoolsidentifiedare,symbolism,metaphorsandironythroughouttheextract.Writingstrategies:Thistext,inwhichthefirst-personnarrationisemployed,tellsusameaningfulstory.Theemploymentofthefirstpersonnarrationrenderstheeventsdescribedortheplotsnarratedmorevivid,objectiveandbelievableandmakesitpossibleandconvenientforthenarratortoexpressordemonstratehisownthoughtsintheprocessofnarration.Theeventsaredescribedchronologically.Theessayshowsthewriter’spoliticalstanceinalucidandironicalwaybyillustratingobjectivefacts.ThesympathyonBurmeseandgreathatredonBritainisacomparisonofrevealingwriter’sstance.TheauthorappealsBritaintoceaseimperialismandliberateBurmese.Conclusion:Asdeepastheelephant'sdeathdisturbsthereader,theauthordoesnotopenlyconveytothereaderthathefeelshehadmadeamistake.Infact,theessayendsalmosttooabruptlyforthereadertoconcludetheauthor'sdeeperfeelings.However,thedescriptionoftheelephant'spainfuldeathissuretorendersomeamountofsympathytowardthecreature,andcreatefeelingsofdisgusttowardtheauthor.Theelephantinthestoryisthesymbolofimperialism.Theysharemanysimilaritiesjustmentionedabovetheparagraph.ShootinganelephantvirtuallyistoendimperialismonthewilloftheBurmese.Thewritershowedhisrageagainsttheevil(empire)-spiritedbeast(elephant)impliedinhiswritings.Symbolism:WhenIpulledthetriggerIdidnothearthebangorfeelthekick（后座力）—oneneverdoeswhenashotgoeshome—butIheardthedevilishroarofgleethatwentupfromthecrowd.后座力弹头射出枪、炮口时所产生的反冲力。Inthatinstant,intooshortatime,onewouldhavethought,evenforthebullettogetthere,amysterious,terriblechangehadcomeovertheelephant.就在这个当儿-真是太快了，你会觉得子弹怎么会这么快就飞到了那里-那头象一下子变了样，神秘而又可怕地变了样。Heneitherstirrednorfell,buteverylineofhisbodyhadaltered.Helookedsuddenlystricken,shrunken,immenselyold,asthoughthefrightfulimpactofthebullethadparalyzedhimwithoutknockinghimdown.它没有动，也没有倒下，但是它的身上的每一根线条都变了。它一下子变老了，全身萎缩，，好像那颗子弹的可怕威力没有把它打得躺下，却使它僵死在那里。Atlast,afterwhatseemedalongtime—itmighthavebeenfiveseconds,Idaresay—hesagged（下垂；下降；萎靡）flabbily（松弛地；软弱地；无活力地）tohisknees.他终于四腿发软跪了下来。