George Orwell: Shooting An Elephant

George Orwell: Shooting an Elephant In his essay, George Orwell tells a story of what happened in Burma when he served as a police officer. At the time, the Burmese citizens did not look kindly upon the English police that protected their city. He describes several instances where he was ridiculed, taunted, and baited into precarious situations. He goes on to proclaim the cowardice of these citizens, and how they waited until the police were out of range before yelling insults towards them. It was because of this, that when faced with the task of controlling an elephant that became loose in the town, that he felt the need to kill the elephant. He killed the elephant, and he claims to have done so only to avoid looking like a fool. Orwell …show more content…
Cutler: Inner Contentment Howard C. Cutler spoke with the Dalai Lama about the desires and greed in Western culture. The Dalai Lama spoke of positive and useful desires such as the desire for peace, happiness, and a friendlier and more harmonious world. Then there are unreasonable desires that are more similar to wants. Additionally, whether your desires are excessive or negative depends on which society you live in. In some societies, having a car is a necessity, and in others it is a luxury. Excessive desires lead to greed, which can empty ones pockets quite quickly. He says that the true antidote of greed is contentment. The Dalai Lama says that best way to achieve inner contentment “is not to have what we want but rather to want and appreciate what we have” (969). This is a profound statement, and one that all of humanity should heed. I am not one to want much when it comes to material things. In fact, I live well below my means in order to save money to purchase a home for myself and my family. I am truly content in my life except when it comes to not being a homeowner. I am truly grateful for everything that I do have. I believe that this is partly due to periods of my life where I have had nothing. Greed and wanting better things than my neighbors and friends seems like a childish game, a game with no winners. Greed produces an insatiable and endless thirst for bigger and better. I want inner contentment, and I am almost …show more content…
She has a very extensive list of things that she wants said wife to do for her. She has a litany of wants, needs and desires that she conveys like machine gun fire. Her list of tasks that she would like her wife to do includes, among other things, work, take care of all of her children’s needs, cook well, clean the house, not complain, listen to her needs and wants, entertain her friends, tend to her social life, be sensitive to her sexual needs but not demand sexual attention when she is not in the mood, and be understanding and accommodating if she finds a more suitable wife. She exclaims, “who wouldn’t want a wife?”