Colonialism, whether benevolent or tyrannical, is a process whereby the interests of one people are subjugated in favor of the interests of another. Accordingly, the colonial experience will vary according to the interpreter. This reality is confirmed by four different attempts to explain and to analyze colonialism as an historical movement. Each of the four authors whose works were reviewed in this section is alike in that their arguments reflect their positional experience vis-à-vis the colonial process. In other words, their philosophy (argument) is a direct product of their relationship to the experience of colonialism, and their role in the colonial system. This relational perspective offers a good analytical tool for the comparison of the four authors and helps to expose the weakness in the persuasive arguments the authors' develop.

George Orwell, in his story, "Shooting an Elephant," uses situational irony to convey his feelings about colonialism...