Mathmatic
Task 2.1: An analysis of ”Shooting an Elephant”, by George Orwell.
This non-fiction essay is a report of George himself shooting an elephant. He is a sub-divisional police officer of the town Moulmein in lower Burma. It is here he experiences a kill of an elephant. And it is not just a kill, he kills it with a rifle in front of about two thousands Indians. The elephant had gone savage and rampaged homes and killed men. Orwell reports an Indian man who was grounded into the mud by the elephant with his head sharply twisted to one side. He died instantly.
I will like to tell you about this report with a focus on characteristics of the essay genre and afterwards conclude the intentions Orwell might have had writing this report.
The report is a perfect example and well-written essay. It has lots of objectivity, ethical reflexions and the author manages perfectly to drag the excitement. It is probably made like the Hollywood-model. In the beginning we are informed about the situation and some conflicts. Suddenly a new conflict pops up (in this case the elephant which is going mad). Then he observes all the damage and excitement is slightly falling. Until he receives the right information of where the elephant is and he starts to move on. Now the excitement begins to rise slowly until ‘the point of no return’ where he faces the elephant. With his rifle in his hand and a huge crowd behind him expecting him to kill it he considers both ethically rightness and what may be the right to do in the situation with a huge crowd behind him. Orwell describes his thoughts and drags the excitement. Orwell has finally considered that the right thing to do is to kill the elephant. When Orwell pulls the trigger the report reaches its climax where the excitement afterwards fades.
Orwell is very detailed in his description which makes you feel you are in it and pulled the trigger yourself. This feeling is what makes the relationship between the text and the content perfect.
I
This non-fiction essay is a report of George himself shooting an elephant. He is a sub-divisional police officer of the town Moulmein in lower Burma. It is here he experiences a kill of an elephant. And it is not just a kill, he kills it with a rifle in front of about two thousands Indians. The elephant had gone savage and rampaged homes and killed men. Orwell reports an Indian man who was grounded into the mud by the elephant with his head sharply twisted to one side. He died instantly.
I will like to tell you about this report with a focus on characteristics of the essay genre and afterwards conclude the intentions Orwell might have had writing this report.
The report is a perfect example and well-written essay. It has lots of objectivity, ethical reflexions and the author manages perfectly to drag the excitement. It is probably made like the Hollywood-model. In the beginning we are informed about the situation and some conflicts. Suddenly a new conflict pops up (in this case the elephant which is going mad). Then he observes all the damage and excitement is slightly falling. Until he receives the right information of where the elephant is and he starts to move on. Now the excitement begins to rise slowly until ‘the point of no return’ where he faces the elephant. With his rifle in his hand and a huge crowd behind him expecting him to kill it he considers both ethically rightness and what may be the right to do in the situation with a huge crowd behind him. Orwell describes his thoughts and drags the excitement. Orwell has finally considered that the right thing to do is to kill the elephant. When Orwell pulls the trigger the report reaches its climax where the excitement afterwards fades.
Orwell is very detailed in his description which makes you feel you are in it and pulled the trigger yourself. This feeling is what makes the relationship between the text and the content perfect.
I