Shooting an Elephant

A detailed Summary of Shooting an Elephant


In his essay "Shooting an Elephant", George Orwell attempts to relay the inhumanity of imperialism. Orwell uses his personal experience with a moral dilemma to convey to the reader the evils which result from colonial politics. An English petty officer in colonial Burma is routinely required to enforce oppressive rules, which he morally opposes. He apparently has even less respect for his Burmese subjects, who routinely ridicule and mock his foreign presence and authority. The story's tension builds when Burmese villagers beckon the officer to quickly kill an elephant who recently trampled a villager. The officer is given conflicting and perhaps unreliable information by the villagers regarding the animals state. Upon finding the elephant, he rightly determin


What strikes the reader from the very beginning is the author's unrelenting honesty about himself. Instead of describing himself as a hero, he says he was "hated" -- but usually he wasn't even important enough to be hated. He is scared and resentful. He is guilty. He is "ill educated." Because of Orwell's almost painful honesty and willingness to look at his own faults, we know that we'll probably learn some truths in this essay, not just some cliche version of reality.

The author's actions cause pain on both the executioner and the elephant, who dies a painful death. This duality highlights the pain that imperialism brought to both parties involved. Orwell clearly writes this essay as an attack on imperialism, showing that imperialism benefits nobody.

Some common words found in the essay are:
George Orwell, kill elephant, , shooting elephant, elephant orwell,

Approximate Word count = 514
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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