Question

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

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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