43 pages • 1 hour read
George OrwellA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
George Orwell, born Eric Blair, served in the British military for five years in Burma between 1922 and 1927. Although there is a question of whether “Shooting an Elephant” is a short story or an essay, it presents the corrupting power of British imperialism. The narrator lives daily with the cruelty and hypocrisy of colonialism and tells readers that he does not believe in the colonization efforts and hates his job. Nearly every sentence expresses the narrator’s struggle with his conscience as he seeks to balance compassion, duty, and ego. In the end, he succumbs to the pressure of the crowd and kills the elephant not primarily to protect the village but to not be laughed at.
From 1824 to 1948, the British ruled Burma, now Myanmar. In “Shooting an Elephant,” readers see, in graphic detail, what can happen when greed and the hunger for power override compassion and even rationality. Despite being a British imperial officer, the narrator sides with the native people in the face of imperialism. Yet his position in the colonial system, and the need to appear dominant over an inferior people, cause Orwell to act against his conscience and judgment.
By George Orwell
1984
George Orwell
A Hanging
George Orwell
Animal Farm
George Orwell
Burmese Days
George Orwell
Coming Up for Air
George Orwell
Down and Out in Paris and London
George Orwell
Homage To Catalonia
George Orwell
Keep the Aspidistra Flying
George Orwell
Politics and the English Language
George Orwell
Such, Such Were the Joys
George Orwell
The Road to Wigan Pier
George Orwell
Why I Write
George Orwell
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
Essays & Speeches
View Collection
Inspiring Biographies
View Collection
Order & Chaos
View Collection
Politics & Government
View Collection
Popular Study Guides
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Required Reading Lists
View Collection