Orwell - shooting an elephant

[Bubble]

I know that this essay has something to do with imperialsim, but i'm not sure exactly what!!! Could someone please explain it to me???? Thanks

[jno]

he's a representative of the British Empire and feels he ought to be in control of things; in reality he knows the crowd expect him to shoot the elephant and only does it (against his own will) because he will look a fool in front of them if he doesn't. So: who exactly is in charge here, the ruler or the ruled?

There isn't a clear answer to that, and I think he's suggesting the same is true of imperialism generally - very complicated, neither as good or as bad, as black or as white, as people think.

[Aschenbach]

http://www.weberberg.de/skool/schwerpunktthema -abitur-one-language-many-voices.html
Some links here. I have read this essay and remember similar events occuring in Burmese Days.