Questions
1.
How do people’s opinions influence our ability
to make certain decisions?
2.
Did the shooter really want to kill the
elephant?
3.
Why did the older men have a different view of
killing the elephant than the younger men did?
Response
For my
response I will focus on my first question: How do people’s opinions influence our
ability to make certain decisions? The short story “Shooting an Elephant”, by
George Orwell, addresses the inner conflict between a British officer and the
Burmese people. What the officer doesn’t want the British and the natives to know
is that he is against them. He has a dilemma: Should he kill the elephant that
is running loose or not?
I think
that the question really depends on what values a person has and how confident
they are in them. With the man in the story, he knew that he didn’t want to
kill the elephant, but he also didn’t want to be laughed at for not killing it.
I think the officer felt lost, living in a country with people he despises. The
officer was more concerned with what the people would think about him if he
didn’t shoot it. They would laugh. They would think he is scared. They would
think he is weak. I think one of the hardest things in life is to not let others
opinions effect yourself and the ability to make decisions. We need to stand up
for what we believe in, even if others do not agree or will make fun of you,
like the officers case. I know for myself, I have been put in situations where
I have had to make a decision. I have let others opinions reflect the decision
I make. I believe the ability to not let others’ opinions influence your own
shows confidence and also maturity. It’s much easier to follow the crowd, but
why not stand up for what you believe in and make a statement?
Hi Melissa, great post! I find it amazing that the presence of others can be so influential. In fact, there is proof that the teenage mind behaves differently when in the presence of other teenagers in comparison to the times the particular person is alone. In this specific case, when in a group, they tend to be more impulsive. In most cases though you are right, it is definitely human nature to want the feeling of belonging somewhere and being accepted by peers.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on the person whether or not they will be effected by another opinion. It is probably really hard to find a person that is not influenced by others. The best example i can think of right now is Miley Cyrus. She stepped away from the Hannah Montana look and has come into her own and not many people have nice things to say about her anymore. I think public figures do a better job not changing based on what others think about them.
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