Values are something all people posses, some people live by them, others just make them up on the fly. Values are something all people learn to appreciate. What does one do with those values when a conflict arises? Most people like to think they follow them at all times, even if it is in a stressful situation, but that is not always the case. In “Shooting An Elephant” and “Singing Silence” both characters have values that are dealt with in different ways more so than similar.
In both stories values are put under stress. In “Shooting An Elephant” the main character lacks honor. Stress was put on this value, and it did not last. “I've only done this to avoid looking like a fool”(Orwell) He said this, because he didn't stand up for himself like others might think, but killed the elephant. When stress was put on this value in “Singing Silence”, it was handled in a different way. He followed …show more content…
The main characters look at this value differently when they would have to act upon it. In “Shooting an Elephant” he values his life too much and does not want to die.”It was perfectly clear to me what I ought to do. I ought to walk up to within, say, twenty-five yards of the elephant and test his behavior. If he charged, I could shoot; if he took no notice of me, it would be safe to leave him until the mahout came back. But also I knew that I was going to do no such thing. I was a poor shot with a rifle”(Orwell) He did not want to risk his life for anything else, even in a position where that might of been the best. In “silent Singing” the main character did not care about his life as much as he did the task at hand.”Last year, on another day, when the sea rose suddenly, stirred to timult by the wind, the little boat Vincente had borrowed was tossed back to the beach. No one saw the old man again. But tied securely, wrapped in seaweed at the bottom of the boat was an amphora.” he went out to do the task at hand, and died in the
In both stories values are put under stress. In “Shooting An Elephant” the main character lacks honor. Stress was put on this value, and it did not last. “I've only done this to avoid looking like a fool”(Orwell) He said this, because he didn't stand up for himself like others might think, but killed the elephant. When stress was put on this value in “Singing Silence”, it was handled in a different way. He followed …show more content…
The main characters look at this value differently when they would have to act upon it. In “Shooting an Elephant” he values his life too much and does not want to die.”It was perfectly clear to me what I ought to do. I ought to walk up to within, say, twenty-five yards of the elephant and test his behavior. If he charged, I could shoot; if he took no notice of me, it would be safe to leave him until the mahout came back. But also I knew that I was going to do no such thing. I was a poor shot with a rifle”(Orwell) He did not want to risk his life for anything else, even in a position where that might of been the best. In “silent Singing” the main character did not care about his life as much as he did the task at hand.”Last year, on another day, when the sea rose suddenly, stirred to timult by the wind, the little boat Vincente had borrowed was tossed back to the beach. No one saw the old man again. But tied securely, wrapped in seaweed at the bottom of the boat was an amphora.” he went out to do the task at hand, and died in the