Shooting an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant An Analysis of the Three Main Messages from Shooting an Elephant Everything that you do in your life cannot be undone. Everything that you say, do, or think, cannot be taken back or be done over again. Everybody that has lived on this earth has made a decision that they later regret. Sometimes, the pain of having regrets can hurt people substantially. George Orwell, early in his life, made a mistake that ultimately affected him for the rest of his life. In Orwell’s Shooting…

In all honesty before reading “Shooting and Elephant” I was rather apathetic and slightly pessimistic. That’s why it came to my surprise as to how much I enjoyed this short story written by George Orwell. The setting takes place in Burma where Orwell, the main character encounters a difficult dilemma with the infamous elephant. Although I knew the elephant’s death was inevitable, the way in which and how he died still seemed to greatly startle me. Right off the bat Orwell makes it evidently…

conflict. In the two texts, “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell and “The Guest” by Albert Camus, it can be seen that the two protagonists struggle in making a decision due to their values. A personal reflective of myself can also display that I have also dealt with, where my values interfere with a conflict that I was facing. The values in conflict we face as an individual influences us to make a choice that will shape our future. The essay “Shooting an Elephant” discusses Orwell's values…

because of the acts of succumbing to pressure and going against one’s conscience. This sentence says, “… to avoid looking a fool”- Shooting an Elephant (pg.89). This shows us his feelings and his vulnerability. He’s easily giving in to the pressure from the Burmans to shoot when he could’ve left the elephant alone. Although, there has been evidence where he feared of the elephant, “... I should have about as much chance as a toad under a steamroller.” (87). Contrarily, most information favored…

is not always the case. In “Shooting An Elephant” and “Singing Silence” both characters have values that are dealt with in different ways more so than similar. In both stories values are put under stress. In “Shooting An Elephant” the main character lacks honor. Stress was put on this value, and it did not last. “I've only done this to avoid looking like a fool”(Orwell) He said this, because he didn't stand up for himself like others might think, but killed the elephant. When stress was put on…

Orwell's Values In The Killing Of The Elephant Orwell is struggling with his two very different values that come into conflict about shooting the elephant and how they impact his decisions. We first see that Orwell values the life of the animal. When he is first asked to come deal with the situation he grabs a small gun to just scare the animal but not big enough to kill it. To him he see’s the elephant as a living creature just like anyone else who deserves to live. He says “somehow it always…

George Orwell was already hated by many people in Burma, and when he had stumbled upon the chance to handle the nuisance the aggressive elephant created, he saw an opportunity to redeem himself. The narrator states, “They did not like me. But with the magical rifle in my hands, I was momentarily worth watching.” (George Orwell 147). It transpires that he didn’t wish to be humiliated more or back out of the situation that was ongoing. At the moment when he was in the midst of the situation…

The Destructive Elephant in the Room Throughout time, empire-building has resulted in tenfold more destruction than contributions to the world. From the Mongols to the Nazis, humans have always exhibited their greedy nature by seeking more land without minding the effects. Those left in imperialism’s aftermath experience profound cultural effects such as those seen in “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. The tone begins as acrimonious and bitter then shifts to introspectiveness and strife,…

comes so that you can become a hero. George Orwell had the same exact experience and shares it in shooting an Elephant where he is forced into a situation that can cause him to be praised or hated. In this story we see how Orwell is placed into a situation where he torn between pleasing the people of Burma, his personal morals, and the safety of others. It would be hard for most people seeing an elephant just roaming around peacefully, and then being told that you must kill the peaceful giant in…

(1611) by William Shakespeare and the short story, Shooting an Elephant (1936) by George Orwell, these texts effectively portray the power of discoveries, capable of altering one’s perspectives. Discoveries may be difficult to overcome as there are often barriers preventing the individual from accepting their unexpected discoveries. In The Tempest, Prospero conjured up a storm, bringing…