Blog Post #2 Prompt 1 - Max Weng

Race has been a factor to multiple conflicts in human history. The subject of race is evident in both texts; “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. These two stories are similar in the essence where one race is superior to the other but are distinguishable because of the different attitude of the narrators.

The story of “A Rose for Emily” takes place around the late 1890’s after the American Civil war. The fictional town of Jefferson created by Faulkner located in Mississippi still suffers from racism and use of African-American slaves. In the story Colonel Santoris was a mayor who “fathered the edict that no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron-remitted her taxes”, and Ms. Emily who still appears to be in possession of a slave. Historically, slavery in America originated when African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 to aid the production of lucrative crops such as tobacco. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 eventually solidified the importance of slavery in the South’s economy. Homer Barron was also a character who showed an advantageous behavior to profit from the war. As Barron was a carpetbagger from the northern states who went to the south to profit from the reconstruction of the war.

Likewise, in “Shooting an Elephant”, the story features the British rule of Burma as a part of India that lasted from 1919 to 1937. The segregation of race is identifiable where the Burmese villagers are obedient to the English police force. The Britain colony over Burma was mainly for trade and resources that put Britain in a more advantageous position. In 1924 when George Orwell arrived, Burma has exported over three million tons of rice. Although what made Britain as a ‘superior’ race is because of their technological advancements. The rifle in the “Shooting and Elephant” is more than just a tool for killing, but a symbol of power and intelligence that allowed for the English to be more superior than the Burmese. Both stories feature how one race is able to assert dominance over the other and use them mainly for agriculture which requires manual labor.

Perhaps what differentiates the two stories is the attitude of the narrator towards slavery and how another race is treated. In “A Rose for Emily”, the subject of slavery is subtle yet evident. The word ‘negro’ is used openly and the attitude of the characters toward slavery is still unchanged. The negro who works for Ms. Emily is seen doing household chores and tends to be much more obedient to their superior Southern whites. This shows how the attitude of slavery is still the same Faulkner’s fictional town of Jefferson even after the civil war. On the other hand, the attitude of the Englishmen in “Shooting and Elephant” towards the Burmese is completely different. Orwell expresses his disapproval of the British colony over Burma and how they treat the Burmese, “The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups…all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt.” The British claims that they are helping the Burmese become more “civilized” but are only there to reap their resources and expand their trading capabilities.  Orwell knows about the inhuman conditions and how the Burmese are treated and he feels uncomfortable in the situation. His tone expresses how the Burmese are not afraid to retaliate, they only fear the guns and technology the Englishmen have. Thus, the two stories convey a different attitude towards how slaves are treated.

Overall, there are similarities in the power dynamics of both “A Rose for Emily” and “Shooting and Elephant” in terms of how race is used for resources. Nevertheless, the attitudes of both authors are different towards the racism and how slaves are treated.