Comparing George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant 'And A Hanging'

George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” and “A Hanging” are two literary works describing a man’s experiences in the country of Burma (now known as Myanmar) under British rule. Both works reflect on a man’s first-hand experiences and address key moral issues. They also explore life under British imperial rule. While Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” and “A Hanging” have much in common, they are also quite different.
“Shooting an Elephant” and “A Hanging” have quite a lot in common. For starters, both works are set in the country of Burma during British imperial rule. Orwell uses a reflective tone to allow the narrator to reflect back on the traumatising events of his work (Crask, 2001, p. 1). In each story, George Orwell relies heavily on symbols to make his point. “Shooting an Elephant” utilizes the symbol of the elephant to represent the Burmese people slowly dying under the imperial rule of the British. “A Hanging” uses the symbolism of a dog to represent an untainted humanity that is capable of seeing all people as equal (Prescott, 2016, p. 9). Finally, Orwell expresses personal experiences about …show more content…
The narrator experiences different reactions to the events of each story. In the case of “Shooting an Elephant,” the narrator is directly involved in the killing of the elephant and feels great remorse for the agony he causes (Crask, 2001, p. 3). In contrast, the narrator in “A Hanging” is not directly involved in the execution of the prisoner, and reacts to the situation by detaching and using humor (Prescott, 2016, p. 11). Furthermore, the narrator’s attitude towards the Burmese people differs throughout the two stories. In “A Hanging,” the narrator feels great sympathy towards the Burmese prisoners. In “Shooting an Elephant,” however, the narrator feels rage towards the Burmese people because of their hateful actions towards him (Crask, 2001, p. 2). Overall, these works differ