George Orwell [1903-1950] We had an anthology of classical essays as part of our undergrad English course. Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell was one of the essays. The horror of political hegemony is the core theme of the essay. Orwell was a subdivisional police officer of the British Empire in Burma (today Myanmar) when he was forced to shoot an elephant. The elephant had gone musth (an Urdu term for the temporary insanity of male elephants when they are in need of a female) and Orwell was asked to control the commotion created by the giant creature. By the time Orwell reached with his gun, the elephant had become normal. Yet Orwell shot it. The first bullet stunned the animal, the second made him waver, and Orwell had to empty the entire magazine into the elephant’s body in order to put an end to its mammoth suffering. “He was dying,” writes Orwell, “very slowly and in great agony, but in some world remote from me where not even a bullet could damage him further…. It seeme...
good one:)
ReplyDeleteThanks. And this is real. From real life. Just from this morning's assembly.
DeleteMaximum things conveyed in minimum words :)
ReplyDeleteAnd of course shows how people function now a days ...
Cbse teaches us how to kill and achieve!
DeleteGood one, made me smile ear to ear.
ReplyDelete;) what a take on corporate politics and in few words ??
ReplyDeleteMarvellous!
ReplyDelete...better rise tithe standards ..., Matheikal?
ReplyDeleteMore appropriate maybe ... Better lower yourself to the standards ...
RE
terse.... yet says a lot !!
ReplyDelete