Shooting An Elephant p 1016 George Orwell In

“Shooting An Elephant” p. 1016 George Orwell “In Moulmein, in lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people” (Orwell).

George Orwell n n n (1903 - 1950) British journalist and author Wrote two of the most famous novels of the 20 th century, Animal Farm and 1984.

George Orwell n n n Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in eastern India, the son of a British colonial civil servant. He was educated in England and, after he left Eton, joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, then a British colony. He resigned in 1927, and decided to become a writer.

George Orwell n n n In 1928, he moved to Paris where lack of success as a writer forced him into a series of menial jobs. He described his experiences in his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London, published in 1933. He took the name George Orwell, shortly before its publication.

Vocabulary 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Prostrate: defenseless/in a prone or lying position Imperialism: policy and practice of forming and maintaining an empire in order to control raw materials and world markets by the conquests of other countries and the establishment of colonies Despotic: tyrannical Squalid: miserably poor; wretched Dominion: rule or power to rule; a governed territory Senility: mental or physical decay due to old age

Literary Device/Irony n n n Irony: literary device that brings out surprising or amusing contradictions. In verbal irony, the intended meaning of words clashes with their usual meaning, as when Orwell describes the dangerous elephant as “grandmotherly. ” In irony of situation, events contradict what you expect to happen, as when the young Buddhist priests are revealed to be the most insulting toward the British.

Personal Narrative n n Personal narratives usually focus on one key event. Though true, they are told like fictional stories: ¡ ¡ ¡ They have a setting a main character among a group of characters a series of events that lead to a climax, a resolution, or ending.

About the Selection n Orwell’s essay reveals the ambivalence (uncertainty) a person may feel in a position of power. n On one hand, young Orwell sympathizes with the Burmese people. n On the other hand, Orwell, the police officer, is committed to continuing and even defending that oppression.

Orwell’s Conflicting Attitudes Orwell’s sympathy for the Burmese n His dislike of imperialism n His desire to leave his job **These attitudes conflict with his role as police officer and his bad treatment by the Burmese. n

State of “MUST” n n When an elephant goes wild in a Burmese marketplace, Orwell must act, making decisions more from his confused feelings than from COMMON SENSE. In the process, he demonstrates the intense human desire to avoid embarrassment.

Summary n n The narrator, an officer of the British imperial police in Burma, considers himself an enemy of imperialism. His role as a representative of the British crown invites the hatred of the Burmese. One day an elephant ravages a bazaar and kills a laborer (coolie). The narrator, who must track down the elephant, has no intention of shooting it, especially when he finds it grazing peacefully in a paddy.

Summary - continued n n n Yet, Orwell feels he must maintain “face” in front of the crowd of Burmese who have followed him. Inexperienced, he repeatedly wounds the elephant, leaving the scene before the animal dies. The villagers cut up the elephant’s body for food.