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Post-Colonialism
“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell
Background Information
“Shooting an Elephant” takes place in Burma (aka Myanmar)
Britain started controlling the area in the mid 1800s and didn’t give up total control until the 1940s
British rule over the area was oppressive and subjugated the native Indian peoples- the natives started to have a very anti-British/European perspective because of the way they were being treated
The Essay
Orwell worked in the British forces in Burma and realized that he very much disagreed with the way the British were running things
He believed that imperialism and colonialism were not only hurtful to the peoples of colonized areas but ALSO to the colonizers themselves
He said, "I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing... I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British."
