Was George Orwell Justified To Kill An Elephant
George Orwell is a famous writer who wrote the science fiction novel “1984” and the political satire “Animal Farm”. However, he also wrote short works such as “Shooting an elephant”. George Orwell was placed in a difficult situation on deciding whether to shoot the elephant in order to protect others. Regardless of which side he acted on, he would still have others wishing he would have acted the opposite way. I believe George Orwell was not justified in killing the elephant, because the elephant was no longer aggressive, he killed it to avoid looking like a fool in front of the town, and he shot the elephant without confronting the owner of the elephant. After the elephant had done his destruction, he returned to roaming the territory without delinquent engagements. George Orwell was aware of the damage the elephant had done, but knew the animal would return to normal in little time. “I thought
…show more content…
He could have continued to watch the animal until the owner came back to get his animal. The elephant was a piece of property to its owner. “Alive, the elephant was worth at least a hundred pounds; dead, he would only be worth the value of his tusks, five pounds, possibly.” Without the consent of the owner of the animal, he had no right to decide the fate of the elephant. If the owner gave Orwell the right to shoot his animal, then he would have been justified. Concluding, George Orwell killed the elephant only to protect his name in the town. I believe George Orwell was not justified in killing the elephant, because the elephant was no longer violent, he killed it to evade looking like a fool in front of the town, and he shot the elephant without confronting the owner of the elephant. He shot the elephant because he felt the Burmese expected him, a member of the Imperial Police, to do so. If it was just George Orwell and the elephant he would have acted differently by not shooting the
He could have continued to watch the animal until the owner came back to get his animal. The elephant was a piece of property to its owner. “Alive, the elephant was worth at least a hundred pounds; dead, he would only be worth the value of his tusks, five pounds, possibly.” Without the consent of the owner of the animal, he had no right to decide the fate of the elephant. If the owner gave Orwell the right to shoot his animal, then he would have been justified. Concluding, George Orwell killed the elephant only to protect his name in the town. I believe George Orwell was not justified in killing the elephant, because the elephant was no longer violent, he killed it to evade looking like a fool in front of the town, and he shot the elephant without confronting the owner of the elephant. He shot the elephant because he felt the Burmese expected him, a member of the Imperial Police, to do so. If it was just George Orwell and the elephant he would have acted differently by not shooting the