Summary Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

1)Create a T-chart. On one side write specific language that shows how the Burmese are treated by the British and on the other side how Orwell is treated by the Burmese (use evidence from the first paragraph). Who is the victim: Orwell or the Burmese? (Hint: It is the Burmese) Explain using the evidence you gathered.

“The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos”
The Burmese are the victims of imperialistic Britain as they are treated poorly by their oppressors

“As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.”
The Burmese inflict petty harassments on the narrator, however, he empathizes with the reasoning for their resentment of the
According to his conclusion, what was his main purpose(s) in shooting the elephant? Both the one he uses to justify his decision and his real
He reasons that “It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant” as it would eliminate the owners source of income and would simply be unethical. However, he then sees the body of the coolie and thinks that he must at the very least conciliate the elephant. Nonetheless, he admits that “[he does] not in the least want to shoot him” and confesses after shooting the elephant that he was glad the coolie died as it put him legally in the clear and justified his actions. He then goes on to admit that he had no choice but to shoot it as “the people expected it of [him] and [he] had got to do it.” He then reveals that he, and every white man in the East, spent his entire life impressing or at least trying to avoid being laughed at by the Burmese. This, he admits, is the real reason he arrives at the decision of shooting the