The Real Nature of Imperialism? A Comparison of Orwell’s ”Shooting an Elephant” & Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Throughout history, writers have written about many different subjects based on their personal experiences. George Orwell, under the pseudonym of Eric Blair, was one of the most famous political writers of the twentieth century. He was born in Bengal, India in 1903 to an English Civil Servant. Failing to win a scholarship to a university, he went to …showed first 75 words of 1148 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1148 total…similar to that of their subordinates. Imperialism transforms Orwell and Kurtz into civilian-like creatures who are ironically at the mercy of their own powerlessness and the power of the people they come in contact with. This irony suggests that the “true nature of imperialism” is paradoxical to its perceived meaning of authoritative rule by few over many, in that it takes away power from the authorities as a result of the pressures exerted by society.