Thursday, September 30, 2010
Peer Pressure Kills Elephants
In Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, he demonstrates the effectiveness of peer pressure. Even though he was hated by the Burmese, he still felt pressured to do what they wanted to do even if it meant killing a useful animal. I think that it would be more understandable if the reason why Orwell killed the elephant was because he felt that it could be dangerous. However, near the end of his essay, he states that he killed the beast because he felt pressured by the crowd. This made me slightly upset, but it also made me think. Why do we, as people, always feel a need to do whatever anyone wants us to do, especially when there is a huge mass of people breathing down your shoulders. I know from experience that when a bunch of people and nudging or pushing you to do something, you do it because of the pressure and not because you want to or believe that is it right. But why do we do so? Is it because we want to be accepted and not shunned? I think that it is the need to fit in and be liked, but does this really justify the actions that we are pressured to preform, like shooting an elephant?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Orwell was definitely pressured into killing the elephant. Not because the Burmese told him to, but because of what they expected from Orwell. I believe he said somewhere in his essay that the Burmese expected Europeans to be definite in their decision and actions, and that he would most likely be laughed at if he had called for the rifle and not shoot the elephant. As a European imperialist they expected certain characteristics of him. I can't be too sure about that. I would have to go back and read the essay to be sure about it. In all he did do it to be accepted, or at least to avoid being ridiculed.
ReplyDeleteThe need to fit in and be liked does not justify actions, especially from peer pressure. For example, you may be pressured to hurt someone, either physically, mentally, or emotionally, by your peers. In doing so you gain your peers' liking of you, but that does not justify hurting someone.
Peer pressure is a deadly tool. Orwell's dealt with it, along with most of us. The pressure he felt by the Burmese is completely understandable, yet I don't believe it can be justified because of it.
ReplyDeleteWe've all done something in our lives (whether or not we always admit it) that was because of some sort of pressure we felt from another person or group of people. However, it doesn't make it "okay".
Say, for example, a man robs a bank. When asked why, he says "Because my friends made me do it!". His reasoning, like being judged or shunned by his group of friends, could be understood. But that doesn't mean he'll recieve no punishments for his actions.