Central aspects of “Shooting an Elephant” are colonialism and the imperialists' exercise of power over their subjects . Above all, the coexistence of both sides play a role. The story not only addresses the role of the despots on the indigenous population, but also how the despots are viewed by their subjects.
The story expresses how much of our behaviour is influenced by what other people think about us and not by what we think is right to do. Orwell describes this situation in great detail, stressing that he does not really want to kill the elephant. Finally, he shoots the elephant anyway, because he feels pressured by a large crowd of locals. Orwell describes the situation as follows: “And my whole life, every white man’s life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at. ”
A central symbol of the story is the elephant, which can be interpreted in two different ways. On the one hand, the elephant can stand for the colonizers and therefore the British Empire, which is in the final stages of its power. On the other hand, the elephant could also stand for the colonized, who are restricted in their freedom, become sluggish and disengaged, and eventually cannot be tamed until they are bled dry by the British Empire (represented by Orwell). The parallel is that the elephant runs amok and cannot be tamed without violence, at the same time the Burmese people cannot be brought under control without violence and torture by the British officers.
1. Colonialism
The story of Orwell and his encounter with the elephant takes place at the time of British colonialism. Colonialism often has the disproportionate influence of a minority over an oppressed majority. Orwell’s situation and mixed feelings about the killing of the elephant also reflect Orwell’s divided view of colonialism. He hesitates to shoot the elephant because it only eats grass peacefully, so Orwell does not see the need to kill the elephant in this situation. In Orwell’s eyes, the elephant did not deserve to be killed, any more than the locals deserved to be suppressed by the colonial regime. Although Orwell criticises the oppression of the local population, he is angry with the Burmese who laugh at him and expect him to kill the elephant. He shows his strength as a single person by killing the elephant alone.
2. Principles
Principles are guiding rules and fundamentals by which most people think and act. Usually, people adhere to their own principles and seldom allow themselves to be influenced by other people. Orwell is in constant conflict, because his own principles do not coincide with those of the abusive and tyrannical regime. He is actually positioning himself against the Empire and siding with the oppressed. At the same time, however, Orwell despises the villagers, who laugh and mistreat him. Orwell describes his disagreement based on the decision to kill the elephant. He himself would not kill the elephant according to his principles, since it appears peacefully on him. But as the crowd pushes him to do so, Orwell deviates from his principles. In retrospect, Orwell justifies the killing of the elephant with the legal basis that allows killing a wild elephant. Nevertheless, the legal justification for the British police officer is considered secondary. Ethical principles are being suppressed.
Positive and negative aspects of multiculturalism:
First of all, we could say multiculturalism makes a country diverse and allows societies to exchange experiences so all people can learn from one another. Additionally, cultural diversity allows more flexibility for multinational companies. Realistically however, many immigrants and their families naturally want to preserve their own culture and in doing so, reject the concept of integration. This enforces self-segregation and the build-up of parallel societies, the opposite of unity. Parallel societies are also born through education and occupational experience levels. Immigrants could have an extremely high level of education in their home country, however may struggle to find work in their new country of residence. This further pushes these communities to the side-lines, enforcing isolation.
Living separate lives but sharing the same environment and public domains can lead to racial conflicts and riots. Those potentially violent acts are born from distrust, fear and prejudice on both sides. It is common for immigrants to flee from persecution, violence or bad living conditions. It is cruel twist of irony that civic unrest probably awaits them at their new country of residence. A critical amount of self-awareness is necessary on both sides to mitigate these conflicts. If one side is not willing to accept new conditions and does not resolve confrontations, these social struggles will clearly continue.
Positive aspects of multiculturalism | Negative aspects of multiculturalism |
Ethnic diversity enriches society through exchanging experiences | Ethnic minorities are often affected by poverty. |
Introduction and evolution of food (Chicken Tikka Masala), music, fashion. | The danger of complete assimilation instead of integrating their own traditions → loss of a country’s national identity and traditions. |
Flexibility for multinational companies. | Immigrants refusing to learn a new language will have problems at school, work, hospitals and in public |
Due to interaction with other ethnicities, people become more tolerant and open-minded. | Tensions between Muslims and Christian or non-religious populations (London bombing, Manchester bombing). |
Foreign workers bring new experiences into the workplace. | Distrust, fear, prejudice and fundamentally different values (religion, traditions, gender concepts) hinder integration → Parallel societies, conflicts, racial tensions. |
Das Themengebiet Multikulturalismus und ethnische Diversität ist breit gefächert, es können sowohl Bezüge zur Geschichte (der Immigration) über Großbritannien abgefragt werden, aktuelle politische und gesellschaftliche Bezüge sowie literarische Bezüge zu Personen („My son the fanatic“). Eine entscheidende Rolle spielen, besonders bei Stellungnahme zu Zitaten im Transferbereich, die positiven und negativen Aspekte des Multikulturalismus. Vorteile sowie Zweifel der Gesellschaft und die politischen Hintergründe sollten bekannt sein, die Inhalte des Themengebietes „Integration versus Assimilation“ lassen sich an dieser Stelle ebenfalls einbringen. Darüber hinaus können halbjahresübergreifende Aspekte abgefragt oder miteingebracht werden. Differenziert werden sollte zum Beispiel zwischen Multikulturalismus und der melting pot Ideologie, wobei die melting pot Ideologie der Assimilation gleichzusetzen ist. Bezüge lassen sich des Weitern zur Immigrationspolitik in den USA (hauptsächlich legaler(GB)/illegaler (USA) Einwanderung), melting pot, salad bowl oder Push- und Pullfaktoren (siehe Q1) ziehen. Schlussendlich wird im Transferbereich durch die Operatoren „Discuss“ oder „Comment“ eine differenzierte und prägnante Stellungnahme erwartet.