... it gave me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant. I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool" (145). The elephant which killed the coolie gives Orwell an excuse for shooting the elephant. Orwell was asked to kill the elephant because it killed a man, and he was satisfied that the coolie died. Otherwise people may think he killed the elephant for another reason and disrespect him ... . This ending of the essay is ironic. "Shooting an Elephant" recorded an incident when Orwell faced an ethical dilemma ... ...

• Word Count: 780
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of the elephant's death to further imprint his argument into the minds of his audience. Orwell describes the elephants pitiful death with such words as "rattling gasps," "tortured breathing," and "great agony," to emphasize the reality of the situation. He chooses such words to further enforce the tragedies imperialistic rule can bring. The audience is given the image of a British policeman repeatedly shooting a defenseless ... animal in an attempt to hurry death. This image compares to the idea of Britain's destruction of its colonies under this imperialistic rule. The elephant's tortu...

• Word Count: 951
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... excitedly that I was going to shoot the elephant. They had not shown much interest in the elephant when he was merely ravaging their homes, but it was different now that he was going to be shot. It was a bit of fun to them besides they wanted the meat"(5). Unquestionably, the crowd added a considerable amount of pressure to the action of shooting the elephant. Orwell hints at guilt for being a slave ... to his insecurities, which at some instances is the pressing will of the townspeople by suggesting "at that moment I glanced round at the crowd that 3 had followed me. It was an immense ...

• Word Count: 1277
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... an era of the imperialism. In George Orwell's shooting an elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. In the nature of imperialism, the dominant regime rules the victims and willingness by arm forces. In the unjust shooting of an elephant, the author uses two main characters, a British officer acts as an imperialism country, while the elephant symbolizes as a victim. By not wanting to look like a fool, the officer decides to shoot the elephant to death even ... calling them yellow-faced and drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest's nuts just to show his ignorance. Throughout his essay...

• Word Count: 301
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... points; 2 points each) Directions: Circle the best answer for each question. 1. Orwell takes great length in describing the elephant's demise. What does his description foreshadow? a. the rise of the empire b. the fall of the empire c. the prosperity of the empire d. the birth of the empire e. the dream of a new empire 2. The speaker's attitude toward shooting the elephant as revealed in paragraph 7 is one of: a. incredulity b. resignation c. despair d. divination e. disillusion 3. Each of the following quotations contains irony EXCEPT ... : a. "The crowd yelled with hideous laughter. " ...

• Word Count: 887
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• Grade Level: High School

... stomped a man to death. Orwell sends for an elephant rifle, and the villagers follow him to see the shooting of the elephant. He is hesitant about shooting the elephant, but one wonders if he would have been so hesitant if the elephant had gone wild in the British neighborhood, destroying English property and stomping on of the his English friends to death in the mud. Orwell finds the elephant in a field of grass eating. He suspects ... that the attack of "must" is passing off and that the elephant is safe, but ... ...

• Word Count: 823
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• Grade Level: High School

In "Shooting an Elephant", why does the police officer shoot the elephant? The elephant could have been shot because the police officer felt the animal was uncontrollable and would cause more harm; or he could have killed the elephant because he caved to peer pressure. The actual killing of the elephant takes place near the end of George Orwell's short story, "Shooting an Elephant," when the police officer shoots at the elephant. The officer kills the elephant because of peer pressure. As one member ... of the ... ...

• Word Count: 290
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... very day. Later, the officer had discussions about the killing of the elephant. He knew he was justified in killing it, due to the death of a local. There was, however, a difference of opinion with his co-workers. The officer did wonder if anyone realized he had killed the elephant "solely to avoid looking like a fool" (Orwell 4). After reading George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant," it has become ... apparent that this short story has more meaning that the title states. The young officer hates his job, hates the people he watches over and hates his employer ... ...

• Word Count: 794
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• Grade Level: High School

... consistent, so Lorde can help her audience follow the unfolding story as it occurs in both time and space. The conflict in both pieces keeps the audience aware of what is happening in the narratives. "Shooting an Elephant," Orwell and "Fourth of July," Lorde both identify conflicts. In "Shooting an Elephant," Orwell is looking for a reason to shoot the elephant, but as the story goes on Orwell continues to notice he ... has no reason to shoot the elephant. (Orwell, para.6), "I had halted on the road. As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty ... ...

• Word Count: 815
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

After reading George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant," one realizes just how ineffective an imperialistic government really is. Imperialism in some places of the world is considered a perfectly adequate, especially in England. Unfortunately, these are usually the people who dominate other countries in the name of the King, or who have never experienced it firsthand. The mistakes of imperialism are painfully evident in Orwell's ... loss either. He feels he has no choice but to give in to the natives. This is just another consequence and result of the flawed system called Imperialism. Orwell's lo...

• Word Count: 1143
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... has escaped from its owners cage. Running free, the large elephant is quite dangerous and is causing havoc in town. Throughout the story, Orwell allows the main character - as well as the reader - to contemplate things before the elephant is captured. With the elephant continuously running away from kept running away from the soldier. The soldiers morals were preventing him from shooting the animal, but the humongous crowd behind him made him feel as ... if he had to kill it. The soldier knows that it is only an ... ...

• Word Count: 520
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• Grade Level: High School

... which governs our values and morals to know when that right choice has been made. When it comes to the behaviour of the narrator of "Shooting the elephant" his actions are understandable and possibly forgivable; the same cannot be said for the narrator of "Greasy Lake." In the story, "Shooting the Elephant" the narrator was put in a situation where he was under immense pressure and was forced ultimately to make a decision ... believed that he and his friends were nothing less than these "bad" characters. It is these beliefs in which the character had for himself in which got him into a s...

• Word Count: 845
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... on they way we view the opposite sex; it can also change the perspective on our own personal values. George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" demonstrates this when it comes down for the essayist to pull the trigger or not. In the first paragraph of the essay, George describes the Burman people has having "yellow faces" (1). This description separates the English Orwell from the rest of the native people, which he is ... him. When he turned and looked he knew that he had no choice; he had to shoot the elephant. The English had been the ruler of the country for decades and if Orwell ...

• Word Count: 559
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• Grade Level: High School

... that finally finished him off " you could see the agony of it jolt his whole body and knock the last remnant of strength from his legs" (53). After finally collapsing the ground "with a crash that seemed to shake the ground even where I lay" (53), the elephant was dead. Orwell was particularly descriptive through these parts of "Shooting an Elephant." When he wrote it he was a simple ... European police officer in an Asian community. He was faced with a large destructive problem with the elephant and even though he did not want ... to take kill the elephant he did it anyways. Orwell was...

• Word Count: 552
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... happy so he wont look a fool. In this essay Orwell knows what is right and how he should handle the situation but he is persuaded by the townspeople to do what he feels is wrong. Orwell says how he had no intentions of shooting the elephant and that doing so would be just like murder. He knew with "perfect certainty" that he ought not to ... shoot him, but Orwell fell victim to social pressure. Orwell knew that if he shoot the elephant he might finally get some ... respect from them and the townspeople would be for him and cheer him for ... ...

• Word Count: 412
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

George Orwell, Author of" Shooting an Elephant". Began by stating and opinion of the Burmese natives saying," (He was hated by large number of people") Orwell 133. Including the young monks. Orwell was a police officer that hated his job in the city of Burma. And had death in his hands when he decided to kill the poor Elephant which is selfish in his part ... is something that is very shameful in human nature because why kill something so innocent?. Yes the Elephant made a mistake, but should we truly blame the Elephant or should the owner who locked up the Beast in the cage be the blame that...

• Word Count: 892
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The juxtaposition of the policeman and the elephant in George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant is a clear representation of the impact of imperial rule on a country. The helplessness of the people of Burma against the imperialists is portrayed through the elephant's inevitable death as well as the moral dilemma the policeman faces. The event of the elephant's death is quite clearly enough to show the impact of imperial rule on the country as a whole however; Orwell goes to the extent to show ... how imperial rule affects the individual ... ...

• Word Count: 852
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell was an interesting peace to read. I thought that it was very descriptive and a good story. I thought that the moral of the story fits well into today's society. It sounded like the only reason the man shot the elephant was to uphold is image for the natives. "To come all this way with rifle in hand having done nothing - no, that is impossible. The crowed would ... laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man's life in the east, was one long ... . People in gangs do things that are bad so people will be afraid or "not mess with them". I thought that the...

• Word Count: 289
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... is called upon to decide whether or not to kill the elephant that had just ravaged a bazaar. He knows that the best thing to do would be to let it live, but he knows that if he does this then he would be ridiculed by the Burmese spectators. So he ends up shooting the elephant just to satisfy the people that he disliked, and also to avoid looking ... a fool. I think that the author's purpose in writing this essay was to show the hollowness and futility of the white man's dominion in the East. On page 171 we see an example of this when ... he says, "And my whole life, every white man's l...

• Word Count: 435
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Setting: Time: 1936 Place: Burma, Moulmein Characterization: Name: The man's name is not given. Appearance: The man's appearance is not given. Actions: He shoots the elephant. Thoughts: He does not want to shoot the elephant but does because of the yellow-faced people. Speech: He speaks to himself inside his mind trying to give himslef reason to shoot and not to shoot the elephant. Reaction by others: The yellow-faced people are happy because he shot the elephant and now they had something to eat. Plot: Man v Man: The man in the story was afraid not to shoot the elephant because of all the yel...

• Word Count: 353
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

In George Orwell's short story Shooting an Elephant, he writes about racial prejudice and injustice. Orwell, which is the author's pen name, (his real name is Eric Arthur Blair,) is a police officer in Moulmein, lower Burma and takes place during the rainy season. Orwell is as much a victim as the people he protects and secretly loves, but because of circumstances he cannot control, he actually ... Orwell is not forced to acknowledge these atrocities until he is put into the position to shoot an elephant. After, the elephant kills a native, the Burmese people look for the elephant to be kill...

• Word Count: 772
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... and may be very disorganized. I also need a clearer and better understanding of the text itself. I know what the text was about but I am not sure as of now what the meaning of it was. I only see the story of the Englishman shooting the elephant, not the point of it. If I don't have a better understanding of this I will ... only simply summarize the essay, which I know is not our assignment at all. I plan on preceding the writing assignment by working a little bit on the paper each day ... paper even if they do not make sense. I will have enough time to come back and organize my thoughts ...

• Word Count: 387
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... tried to give them a shot but the skin was to tough. They then finally without and other resort they had to starve them to death. They chose this instead of shooting them because it took 10-20 days for the elephants to starve. So if the war was over they would save the elephants. They had three elephants. The first elephant died in 17 days. They then ... started to starve the other two elephants. about 10 days went by. When they then seen their ... owner they started doing tricks for him. Knowing they always got treats after doing a trick. The owner couldn't stand ... ...

• Word Count: 246
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• Grade Level: High School

To discourage would-be criminals, society has always used punishment. Sometimes with jail time, community service or even the death penalty. The huge elephant in the room is whether or not the death penalty or capital punishment should still be in practice. In "On The Front Lines" Janet Reno says, "Take it from someone who has spent a career in Federal and state law enforcements ... son until he became violent. Once Larry reached his break, he committed his crime, and was sentenced to the death penalty. Not only are the mentally ill victims of the flaws of the death penalty but so are normal ...

• Word Count: 1467
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a mammal mother herself and protectress of many others" (Ackerman 247). There were many animals in the zoo like: elephant, links, zebra, pig, horse, cheetahs and badgers. Antonina not only give each one a name but she also understood their personalities. When the Berlin zookeeper Lutz Heck started shooting the animals he did not need for a New Year's "hunting celebration," Antonina saw how they ... were able to kill so many animals for sport and wrote in her diary that "how many humans will die like this in the coming months?" (Ackerman 1062). Ackerman gives ... dressed in Polish unifo...

• Word Count: 1350
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School