Blog Post 2: Topic 1

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant,” readers are able to view the power of race and privilege. The Southern whites and the Englishmen were the superior race during colonization and after the civil war, they were privileged in the things they had access to due to technology and economic growth of their nations. Faulkner's use of diction in the word "Negro" set the time frame of this story. As all the African Americans that were mentioned in the story were working in helping household or service jobs, readers understand that they were free folk after the civil war. However, they were still working jobs that required their service as the help. "They were admitted by the old Negro into a dim hall from which a stairway mounted into still more shadow," (Faulkner) enforces the concept of a minority providing service as the help. Reference to Emily's lover as a "Yankee" further supports the concept of privileged race of the Southern whites. Faulkner's tone towards race seems to enable race as an identifier for where people belong in the social structure. Emily, a southern white was able to get away with not paying the taxes she needed to. It can be argued Emily used her power, derived from her dead father, to not pay taxes. She comes from old money even though it deteriorates with her home, as the rest of the village has progressed into new technology.  Faulkner provides this abuse of power to further establish her race status because the help would not have been able to receive the same treatment because they were black, a minority. Her holding back from change represents her power over the rest of the people. Unlike in “Shooting an Elephant,” everyone is okay with inferiority views.      

Orwell writes of a time where the Englishmen were colonizing Burma. Race still plays a role in this short story, however, race means a sense of belonging. The Englishman identifies himself as a foreigner in this country where people view him as an outcast with power over them. He believes “it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the natives,” (Orwell). He realizes the sense of power he has over them and feels guilty for contributing to their colonization. His realization of power makes him want to be accepted in to their culture. The only way he was able to find a sense of belonging was through the death of the elephant. Ironically, an Englishman was able to be part of a minorities culture unlike in “A Rose for Emily.” Race was a theme in both stories and authors show how race can affect the way we convene with one another.  Faulkner shows the role of race with power and money, never associating with the minority group unless you want to be frowned upon. Where Orwell, reveals the way races can coexist together only if common ground is made