Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, Brief Description of Words and Symbols

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1. From the beginning of this essay Orwell’s purpose was never to shoot the elephant. In paragraph 3, lines eight through nine he explains not wanting to shoot it and speaks about bringing the gun to give the elephant a good fright. Leaving the gun at home or bringing the gun would have made no difference to what happened at the end. The gun was of little use, the main gun was not even his own but the riffle.

2. Orwell shot the elephant not to save the people in the village but for his own benefits. Fearing what the people might think if he did not shoot it. In paragraph nine he weighs the options of shooting it or not. Reasoning if he did not shoot it and got trampled they would laugh at his defeat. Thankful that the coolie man got killed so he could shoot the elephant. The guilt would be easier to deal with since someone was killed. Shooting the elephant was not necessary, when he thinks about the owner who would be coming and how the elephant’s terror had ended already the only thing Orwell was thinking about was the people laughing.

3. The epiphany Orwell has is when the Indian Coolie was killed. Realizing this was his chance to not be laughed at by the Burman people. It was a

legitimate reason to kill the elephant. If this man was not killed his conscience would have taken over and he would not have been able to do it. As well as in paragraph seven when he speaks about the “white man turns into a tyrant, he destroys his own freedom.” Being ruled over, that everything he does now is not because he wants to but because it is expected of him.

4. The Coolie man who was killed is Orwell’s reassurance to kill this elephant. His own reasoning as to why everything he is about to do is okay. That whateve...

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...cer he is.

Language:

1. In Orwell’s statement, when he says the elephant has “gone must” my understanding is that he is saying that after being tamed for so long the elephant has finally gone chaotic and smashing everything it can. For the first time being free. The definition of musth is the frenzied state of certain male animals. An example of that are elephants associated with the rutting season. The variant musth gives a better definition of what is happening with the elephant.

2. The expressions Orwell use that are not used by Americans are “who had been bogged with bamboos” and “rang me up on the phone” which are

both British expressions. Orwell also uses many alternate spellings on common American words for this essay. When Orwell uses “dash” he is using British English, were the definition of this is used to express mild annoyance.

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