Shooting An Elephant Figurative Language

P.G. Wodehouse once said, “The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun.” This quote embodies the internal struggle the narrator of George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” faces while deciding the fate of the elephant. I chose this piece because the title is very intriguing to me and I felt like it would be an interesting piece of literature, especially since Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984 are considered cult classics among young adults. Although the story is short, my first impression was indifferent. The beginning is very slow, but then it left me on the edge of my seat and feeling a range of emotions towards the end of the short story. Unfortunately, Orwell left me feeling rushed after enacting a self-catharsis upon myself. Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is a wonderful narrative that is cut short, thus leaving me feeling dissatisfied and detached with the ending of the short story. When I first read the title of the short story, “Shooting an Elephant”, I could not …show more content…
“Shooting an Elephant” has strong figurative language and allusions to the time in which the short story was written. Thus, making it exciting and interesting during the time in which it was published. While I was reading the story, I felt that this story had lost its lackluster with the passing of time. Therefore, making the story rely on its plotline and theme to appeal to readers. Sadly, I did not find either of those very intriguing. The middle portion of the plot was promising and had all the elements he needed to create a strong short story, but instead I think he let the restraint of length fog his vision for this story. Sadly, letting the story conclude in a manner that seems almost unfinished to me. While Orwell has had his fair share of exquisite longer pieces of literature, this short story left me feeling as if my time reading the story was poached instead of being well