Shooting an Elephant

In the essay, “shooting an Elephant” George Orwell described an unsettling personal experience that occurred while he was employed as a British police officer in Burma. Even though Orwell was an authority figure with military supremacy, Orwell was still being ill-treated and made a mockery of by the Burmese. Orwell is soon involved in a predicament with dealing with a must elephant that killed a coolie. Now, Orwell is helplessly torn with the idea of shooting a harmless elephant that was in must…

stories that have been studied are Shooting An Elephant and No Witchcraft for Sale. Both of these stories contain special accounts of the narrator’s experiences. Three messages from these two short stories are: Don’t let peer pressure make your decisions, know who your enemies are, and believe in yourself. One message that these two short stories have in common is don’t let peer pressure make your decisions. This is particularly evident in Shooting an Elephant. The narrator of this story shares…

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…

characters from both stories feel. First of all, the main difference in both these characters is that one of them gave in to the peer pressure and the other didn’t. In Shooting an Elephant, George gave in to the peer pressure as he felt that the easier way would be the better way to evade the problem. He decided to shoot and kill the elephant just like the Burmese wanted him to, even though his heart wasn’t in it. But in Divergent, Beatrice overcomes her peer pressure and followed her heart’s…

Also in Shooting an Elephant and in A Hanging, there is a death scene. The main character is the cause of the death, and kills them because it is their duty. Each time, leading up to the death scene, the character realises how innocent that the victim must be. This is exemplified with the elephant being unknowing and slowly dying and with the dog that is friendly to the prisoner. Now, in 1984 the novel ends with seeing the corruption, and no longer feeling the stress of the political powers.…

wants you to do. Both choices will have different outcomes, but you have to face your situation with your mind. In Shooting an Elephant, The background of George Orwell and the pressure of the community around him causes questionable actions from Orwell. Was he just trying to save his name sake for the pleasure of the community? The first cause and effect situation in Shooting an Elephant cannot really be avoided. George Orwell was born in India, but he is of English descent. He was educated in…

George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” (Orwell, 2012), tells us a story about going against our inner beliefs due to peer pressure. Orwell goes after a wild elephant that is rampaging the town he polices. During the chase he finds a dead villager and decides to get his gun. Upon finding the elephant, who is calm at this point, he decides not to shoot it. However, the huge crowd of villagers are demanding he take action against the beast. Orwell finally decides he can’t go against what is…

In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell was completely justified in shooting the elephant. Often time people who have been put in a position of authority are required to make tough decisions. These decisions have to be made based on what is best or the group as a whole; not what one personally feels about a situation. In “Shooting an Elephant”, though Orwell did not personally desire to shoot the elephant based on the circumstances shooting it was the best option. Orwell had no desire…

In the essay “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell experiences first hand the oppression that imperialism opposes on the Burmese people. Orwell’s symbolism of the hunting rifle, elephant, and the collie are used to represent the evils of British imperialism. Orwell's use of the hunting rifle to symbolize the intensity of peer pressure,k the power, and control the British had over the Burmese people. Orwell emphasises to the reader that he “had no intention of shooting the elephant.” (pg.…

question shooting a mad dog that had already killed a man and caused large amounts of damage? In “Shooting an Elephant,” Orwell was justified in shooting the destructive elephant because he did not want to appear foolish to the locals, it had killed a man, and because the owner was responsible for not making sure the elephant was watched over. The elephant had gone completely rampant by the time Orwell made his decision to kill it, so legally it was his duty to end his rampage. The elephant was…