Many people have tried to define what it really means to be human, and there is really still no definitive answer that everyone will accept. However, there have been many books and essays that have been written on the subject, and some of them will be discussed here. One of the most definitive essays on humanity and society, and one that is often overlooked, is "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell. Orwell's essay deals with how Orwell had to kill an elephant that was running around loose, not because it was really dangerous by the time he found it, but because the natives that he was around clearly wanted him to shoot it. It suffered for a long time after he shot it before it finally died, and even though he felt badly about it, he still was glad that he shot it because he did not want to look foolish in from of others. There were psychological, ideological, and social issues that were involved with shooting the elephant, and these will be addressed along with an examination of three books that also address the subject of what it truly means to be human, and why humans do things the way that they do them. In other words, the reasons behind the actions of humanity.

             Social and ideological issues were important in the essay, as much of what Orwell did with the elephant was related to how he felt about the town and the people in it, and how they felt about him. Socially, he was laughed at and not respected by the natives, since he was European and they were Burmese. They did not like him, and they would jeer at him from safe distances and trip him if they got the chance (Orwell, 1936). He did not like them very much either, and he did his best to be respected by simply doing his job. Unfortunately, it did not help him very much and he ended up still being laughed at and ridiculed by so many people that he was very unhappy with the way that he was being treated. He had ideological opinions of how he should be treated and how other people should act and live.