Shooting An Elephant, By Alice Walker And Everyday Use

We have different identities based on our cultural, ethnic, racial and religious differences. These identities will affect how we see ourselves since we might have different responsibilities, job duties and backgrounds. In the two literature stories â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† and â€Å"Everyday Use†, Alice Walker and George Orwell both show how identity is connected to how we see ourselves in the present. In the story â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†, the main character is a white policeman in British Burma. He received a report about a local man who was killed by an elephant. When he arrived the scene, he found that the elephant was no longer dangerous. He believed, he shouldn’t kill the elephant since it no longer was a threat. Also, â€Å"it is comparable to†¦show more content†¦Like he says that â€Å"every white man’s life in the East was one long struggle no to be laughed at† (Orwell 818). The story shows how the identity connects and affects how we see ourselves in the present. The main character has played several identities like a white man, policeman and human. He did not want to kill the elephant as a human, but as a white man, he chose to defend his dignity and shoot the elephant. Under our own cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds, we have different responsibilities and duties to complete. These factors will determine how you and others see yourself. In the story â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†, the main character is a white policeman from the Great British. He needs to kill the elephant and protect the villagers’ safety which was threatened by the elephant. But if he changes his identity, he will have a different perspective. From the conversation with the local people, he knew that the elephant would not be aggressive unless someone got close to it. Therefore, if someone wants to take the elephant, they may underestimate it and be killed. The main character might feel guilty because he k nows the elephant is ignorant afterwards. On the other hand, the story â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† also shows us how we might want to see ourselves in the future. We want to have equal rights amongst all people. George Orwell uses the elephant to describe the people being controlled by British imperialism. They fight back because their life is