Preview

George Orwell Shooting An Elephant

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
186 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
George Orwell Shooting An Elephant
The story “Shooting an Elephant” is set in Burma, Asia. Orwell, who is the narrator, is a British police officer who was sent to Burma. The Burmese people do not like the British because of imperialism. Orwell does not agree with the treatment of the Burmese, but he still has to stand by Britain’s side. George is sent Burma to kill a tame elephant that has gone wild. It has destroyed most of the town and also killed a man. Everyone is terrified of this animal. Orwell doesn’t want to kill the elephant, but he is pressured by the Burmese people surrounding him. He knows deep down that it is wrong to kill an animal that doesn’t know any better. Once he shot the elephant, it took several hours for it to finally die. The owner was very angry because
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Summary
    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Summary

    George Orwell writes Shooting an Elephant with his experiences in Burma; so story is in Burma, Myanmar. Both Orwell uses his own experiences in past and he lives in the significant era of British in history, we see high rise at historical background in the story. Orwell prefers to indirect way to express his emotions using symbols. One of the main symbols is an elephant. The elephant symbolizes British Empire. The reason that Orwell chooses the elephant, the empire is powerful like an elephant. When it dies, Orwell makes narrative sentences about the elephant. These sentences help us the elephant is the British Empire.” One could have imagined him thousands of years old. (5)” “He was dying, very slowly and in great agony, but in some world…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Response To George Orwell's 'Shooting An Elephant'
    • 81 Words
    • 1 Page

    Response To George Orwell's 'Shooting An Elephant'

    You should always do what your conscience tells you to do. People always try and make decisions based on other people. In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” essay Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant and knew it was not right, but did it just because of other people. If he would have trusted his conscience and had not shot the elephant he would never felt shameful.…

    • 81 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Review Of Langston Hughes 'Salvation Story Shooting An Elephant'
    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Review Of Langston Hughes 'Salvation Story Shooting An Elephant'

    On the other hand, the story "Shooting an Elephant” was wrote by George Orwell base on his personal experience in Moulmein, in Lower Burma .He served his country, "British Empire as a colonial administrator. The author described the effects on the oppressed Burmese Indians and theirs oppressor British Empire. The internal conflict of British men, his feelings and convictions linked to his pride from of the angry crowd. Shooting an Elephant is more than a personal experience story, is a reflection of the dilemmas of morals standards in real life and the costs that it represent as a human been and his nature as well .…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell
    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

    George Orwell is well known, even though he died in 1950. He was British and an ex-cop. George Orwell is a very prominent author. He is known for a few of his books, written for a variety of purposes. However, this specific essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, is written to inform of us. He phrases this essay more as a narrative, which makes it not rhetorically effective. George Orwell uses great imagery and his syntax makes it simple for even high schoolers to read through his works.…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shooting of an elephant:Personality Confict of a Britisher
    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Shooting of an elephant:Personality Confict of a Britisher

    Shooting an Elephant, by George Orwell is a story how a young Orwell, while stationed in Colonial Burma, became disillusioned with Imperialism. On one occasion he was faced with the dilemma of having to destroy a wild elephant that had gotten loose in the town he was stationed in. Throughout the story the reader will be able to see two alternating voices of Orwell. The first voice is a justification of his actions, while the other voice cites an honest excuse of why he shot the elephant. More than that the story talks about power and authority, pride v/s responsibility, ethical decision making and being morally correct or incorrect.…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Shooting an Elephant - Journal
    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shooting an Elephant - Journal

    This story begins in Moulmain, in lower Burma. The author speaks about his experiences while he was working as a police officer. In this time, Orwell was a young inexperienced soldier. He was in that place to protect the Queen’s interests. He had to do unethical things that made conflicts himself. When he mentions that he killed an elephant I feel his pangs of conscience. The elephant destroyed a village before it died. The villagers were furious about all the mess and Orwell was called to restore the order before anything, or anyone, was hurt. While this adventure runs, he decided to kill the animal because he thought that was the best. He needed to show solidarity among the villagers as a man of authority.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell
    • 234 Words
    • 1 Page

    Analysis Of Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

    The thesis of George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is, “When the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” This sentence is found in paragraph 7, line 14. This is the thesis of the essay because it reflects on the fact that Orwell feels reluctant at first to shoot the elephant, because he sees how peaceful and harmless it is. But as the crowd behind him pressures him with their laughter and screams, he finally pulls the trigger, with out actually thinking, and he repeatedly shoots the elephant trying to kill it, in mad rampage. This scene reflects back to the part of the thesis, “it is his own freedom he destroys” because Orwell demonstrates losing his freedom to behave intelligently and morally. He doesn’t want to kill…

    • 234 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Questions
    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Questions

    1)George Orwell has an extremely scornful attitude towards imperialism. He views it as a corrupt form of government. He has a strong disgust for the native people, as they continually harass him on a daily basis. They attempt to trip him on the soccer field, laugh and make fun of him. Orwell dislikes his position in Burma, as he frequently states that he does not like having power and ruling over a foreign people. Many times the masses of people tend to go around what Orwell is attempting to enforce, rather than obey what he decides.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Analysis
    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Analysis

    In 1936, author George Orwell wrote an essay titled “Shooting an Elephant”. In the essay Orwell describes a scene of a British police officer who is stuck between having to shoot an elephant. The story takes place in Burma, India where then, they were under British imperialism. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. It humiliates the occupied people, reducing them to an inferior status in their own country. Analyzing Orwell’s work, I realize that Orwell feels Imperialism is not good for both the people subject to and the people of the imperial power. The fact that the main character of the story is an officer of the imperial government, but also in opposition to imperialism…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant
    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant

    George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" is an essay about a British police officer living in Lower Burma who goes through the trial and error process of making the right decisions while still trying to maintain an image and position of authority. The officer is hated by the Burmese people, which is clearly shown when he would play football. The Burmese were extremely unfair to the officer due to the fact he was part of the Imperialist group which was oppressing Burma. (para. 1) Although the officer is hated he feels "Imperialism, [is] an evil thing" and he "[is] all for the Burmese and against their oppressors, the British," his own kind. (para. 2)…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shooting an Elephant - Essay
    • 865 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Shooting an Elephant - Essay

    George Orwell’s ‘Shooting an Elephant,’ is an essay which takes place in imperial Burma where he is a police officer working on behalf of the British Empire. He is resented by the people who pressures him into shooting an elephant, where he describes himself as being a meaningless puppet in front of the Burmese crowd. Throughout this essay he also delivers his strong personal beliefs towards his hatred of imperialism, despite working for the colonies, he mentions several times of how much he despises it and sees it as ‘evil.’…

    • 865 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant
    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George Orwell Shooting An Elephant

    In “Shooting an Elephant', George Orwell described the onus of serving with the imperial police in Lower Burma, during a time where the British police were hated by the natives. Orwell expressed his views towards the Burmese, saying “Theoretically—and secretly, of course—I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.” Though he felt that way, they did not feel the same towards him. “As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so.” He hated his job and felt that the sooner he got out, the better. Imperialism was something that he clearly despised, yet he was caught right in the middle of a cycle of oppression. One day, an event occurred that left Orwell battling with a decision between his own moral beliefs, and gaining the approval of the…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shooting an Elephant
    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Shooting an Elephant

    In the reading, Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell is narrating about his feeling and pressure shooting an elephant. A little about the writer, Orwell, is a British police officer who was born in India. He was hated by large numbers of people in Moulmein, in Lower Burma as the British had colonized Burma.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Shooting an Elephant
    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Shooting an Elephant

    The short story, Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell was written about Orwell’s experience in the early Twentieth Century. At that time India was ruled the British. While he was there, he had to do something that had caused some ethical conflicts in him. Orwell’s job was to kill an elephant that had ran rampant in lust throughout a village in Burma. “It had already destroyed somebody's bamboo hut, killed a cow and raided some fruit-stalls and devoured the stock; also it had met the municipal rubbish van and, when the driver jumped out and took to his heels, had turned the van over and inflicted violence upon it” (Orwell 897). The villagers were obviously upset about the trial and he was called upon to restore the order before anything, or anyone got hurt. While he got there he decided that it was best to kill the animal. His reasons for doing so, however, were not as clear-cut. “The older men said I was right, the younger men said it was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie”(Orwell 901). His final decision was not to look bad in front of the villagers; that gave him a degree of shame. Orwell was in conflict with himself about his justification, otherwise there would be no justification. What had been seen was how he justified in shooting the elephant, regardless of what the ethical and moral issues he had suffered. Orwell needed to show the people that he was a man of authority. If he had not shown that, then he would be taken over by the villagers. The elephant had trampled a hut, killed a man, a cow, destroyed a fruit stand and ate the contents, and destroyed a van. These were some reasons to kill the it, and nothing like this will ever get out of control with another animal like this elephant.…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell
    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Shooting An Elephant By George Orwell

    In George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, he is an outsider in his country. As a European in a mainly Burman consumed country he was thought of an outcast or treated as a fool for just being from a different origin than the others. Throughout his days he is continuously taunted and bullied by his own community members, yet ironically they are the ones that he is supposed to be protecting. One day he is presented a problem that he had two potential ways to solve, the non-lethal choice that wouldn’t gain him any brownie points with the townsfolk or a slightly more lethal choice that would gain him a multitude. Orwell choses the later and ends up realizing that he had made huge mistake. He feels extremely guilty, because progressively…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics