Read this excerpt from "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell:

I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib. For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the "natives," and so in every crisis he has got to do what the "natives" expect of him.

Which two ideas about colonialism are most clearly expressed in this excerpt?

A. Colonialism is normal; colonial rulers take and maintain power through superior military force.

B. Colonialism is ethical; colonial rulers must teach their subjects to act correctly and honorably.

C. Colonialism is ultimately unstoppable; colonial rulers must use force to maintain control and order.

D. Colonialism is self-defeating; colonial rulers don't have as much power as they think they do.

Question

Mina Hart

English

28 January, 19:50

Read this excerpt from "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell:

I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib. For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the "natives," and so in every crisis he has got to do what the "natives" expect of him.

Which two ideas about colonialism are most clearly expressed in this excerpt?

A. Colonialism is normal; colonial rulers take and maintain power through superior military force.

B. Colonialism is ethical; colonial rulers must teach their subjects to act correctly and honorably.

C. Colonialism is ultimately unstoppable; colonial rulers must use force to maintain control and order.

D. Colonialism is self-defeating; colonial rulers don't have as much power as they think they do.

+2

Answers (2)

Know the Answer?

Timothy Church · Answer 1

D. colonialism is self-defeating; colonial rulers don't have as much power as they think they do.

Isabella Harper · Answer 2

In this excerpt from "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell, the ideas about colonialism that are most clearly expressed are option D. Colonialism is self-defeating; colonial rulers don't have as much power as they think they do. As a British officer in Burma, he was hated by the Burmese people. He himself is against colonialism because he states that in a job like that you see the dirty work of the British Empire, but he also feels powerless when he wants to stop the indignities he suffers from the Burmese. When he faces the elephant he sees clearly that even though he doesn't want to kill the elephant, he has to do so because the crowd of Burmese people expects him to do it. He is not free. By limiting the power of the others, the British Empire has limited its own freedom.