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  • Essay / Racism and Imperialism in “Shooting an Elephant” and “How The Other Half Lives”

    Travel writing has been a powerful means of directing audiences to new places; Some works will take you on an emotional roller coaster through the eyes of the writers, to explore and experience new things, to better understand different cultures and be part of this community. Travel writers such as George Orwell and Jacob Riis both express their viewpoint towards other races in their works Shooting An Elephant and How the Other Half Lives. Although travel writing is a means of gaining some appreciation of other cultures, it further provides evidence of white privilege through casual racism towards "exotics", labeling them as barbaric and dangerous. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get an original essayIn George Orwell's story "Shooting An Elephant", he tells readers about his struggles as a police officer in Burma and does so having to shoot an elephant to avoid looking like a fool. The elephant in the story illustrates the enormous size of the empire and its power over the local Burmese population. Throughout the story, Orwell focuses on the impact of British imperialism, both on the empire and the local population. As the empire holds power over other countries, the locals don't like it, they often give white people hateful looks. Even though Orwell wishes to join the community, it is difficult for him, "the life of every white man in the East was a long struggle which was not to be laughed at." However, the death of a local man gave him a reason to shoot the elephant. In Shooting An Elephant, he describes the act of shooting and the death of the elephant in excruciating detail, to show how he is affected by the local people and wants to prove himself, be able to assert his dominance and win the respect for the local population. them, as a British settler. Opinions on his actions were divided, with some Europeans believing that the elephant's life was worth more than that of a coolie and that he should not have killed it; others think he did the right thing for the city and saved face. In this case, Orwell chooses to go against his own will, to become part of this local community. He is aware that “when the white man becomes a tyrant, it is his own freedom that he destroys”. Although he slaughtered the elephant simply to avoid looking like a fool, he changed the way people looked at him and exposed the conflict between moral conscience and written law. After all, he is part of the strongest force. It is his duty as a police officer to demonstrate authority and military supremacy. While Orwell is treated as an outsider in Asia, Rii, on the other hand, carries a strong sense of privilege. and pride as he travels through New York's Chinatown. Here, Rii judges the Chinese for having their own culture and traditions rather than assimilating to American standards. Throughout the story, Rii uses a tone of repulsion and very visual narration to paint a vivid picture allowing us to see what the lifestyles were like in Chinatown; he describes “Chinatown as a disappointing spectacle.” According to him, the colors red and yellow, China's two bright colors, are not very welcoming to foreigners, "rather they seem to descend to the level of general monotony and stare at you from doors and windows." Rii also compares the "cleanliness" of Chinatown with that of another neighborhood, as positive as the word "cleanliness" may sound, he turns this into,.