The Elephant Vanishes

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…

In “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, the author explores his feelings and blameworthiness towards a tamed yet potentially dangerous frenzied elephant whom he shot in Moulmein, Burma. In this situation, Orwell deplores his actions and elicits his depth of regret towards murdering the elephant, of which he later justifies as, in short, preserving the legacy of British power and authority in front of the Burmese natives (through irony and narration). Although confession does not justify…

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…

A One-Way Ticket to Madrid in ‘Hills Like White Elephants.’ Only one option Hills like white elephants must be one of the most interesting stories to analyze as it has so many hidden meanings that only an attentive reader can understand. In his story named Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemmingway writes about an American man and his girlfriend Jig who are waiting for a train to Madrid, and while they are waiting, the couple has a conversation. However, what seems to be a normal dialogue at…

What Would You do for a Klondike Bar Have you ever wanted something so bad that you feel as if you would almost do anything to get it? One of the things that comes to mind is the commercial for Klondike bars. Throughout the whole commercial you see someone doing something crazy like walking on a tightrope over Niagara Falls, or fighting a lion. These are crazy stunts that someone would have to be out of their mind to actually do, but in the end you see someone eating a Klondike bar with a…

sparrow and an elephant are under attacked by a very aggressive snake, can you imagine what is their reaction in that situation? Which one will be the winner? Firstly, we take a look at the elephant. Elephant is a very giant animal and has a very thick skin which make the poisonous fangs of the snake become useless. So the attack of the snake doesn’t matter. In that situation, the elephant only need to pick up his feet and step on top of the snake and kill it immediately. The elephant doesn’t…

Conflicted Tones in “Shooting an Elephant” In George Orwell’s essay, “Shooting an Elephant”, the narrator kills an elephant, despite his reluctance to do so. An escaped elephant runs through a village and he follows in an attempt to corral the beast. The narrator carries a gun with him as a safety precaution, but has no actual plans to kill the elephant. However, the Burmans surrounding him push him to kill. This causes him to feel a large amount of cognitive dissonance. Orwell conveys this…

George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” describes Orwell’s time spent in Lower Burma under the control of British Imperialism as a police officer. A rifle, shooting an elephant, and a mask are all symbols Orwell uses to represent how imperialism affects him as in officer of the Imperial Police. Orwell’s hunting rifle is used to represent the difference in power he had with and without the gun in his hands. Orwell never wanted to harm the elephant, his .44 Winchester rifle was only to be used as…

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.…

the view of a big number of people. That is why shooting an elephant was a hard decision for him, but he was justified in doing that. By the following conditions, George Orwell was in the main role after the wild elephant, in that day. That horrible situation lied on his shoulders, and he should do something that can change a lot his relationship with residences of that small town. After he started research of effect after wild elephant run through people’s huts, he even didn’t think to shoot…