As of the point in time where the account was taken, the British Empire has the power. They are the ones who have implanted their chosen power structure on to the citizens of Burma and the English expatriates living there. While the Burmese people are a force of pressure in Orwell’s conscience leading him to the eventual act of killing the elephant, there is a larger pressure, coming from the Empire which is validating the pressure coming from the burmese. The english have set up the power structure in Burma, they have created the “mask” that orwell now finds to be his skin. It is the english that have put him in the position of relative power and now orwell must be a slave to the system which empowers him in order to not let it fall. What the British have been able to do is connect inseparably the dignity of Orwell, to him doing his duty to uphold the power dynamics which the British Empire has seen fit to implement. While orwell is trying to protect his dignity by using a decisive method of force he is also playing into the power dynamic that not only allows him, but expects him to do so.<\/p>\n
Later this phenomenon will play out in more formative ways. When enforcers of english rule abroad will be faced with unruly subjects who question the authority of the outsiders, the power dynamic engrained in the minds of the english foreigners will be used to justify the repression of the indigenous people.<\/p>\n
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As of the point in time where the account was taken, the British Empire has the power. They are the ones who have implanted their chosen power structure on to the citizens of Burma and the English expatriates living there. … Continue reading