1.0 Introduction

In this coursework, we are about to analyse the short story “Shooting an

Elephant”written by George Orwell. George Orwell actually is a pen name, and his

real name is Eric Arthur Blair. He was born in 25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950 and

is English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a

profound awareness of social injustice, an intense, revolutionary opposition to

totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language and a belief in democratic socialism.

George Orwell’s ‘‘Shooting an Elephant’’ first appeared in 1936.‘‘Shooting an

Elephant’’ functions as an addendum to Burmese Days.‘‘Shooting an Elephant’’ is a

central text in modern British literature and has generated perhaps more criticism

than any other comparable short piece. In the politicized atmosphere of

contemporary criticism, commentators are especially drawn into debate about

whether Orwell apologizes for or condemns imperialism. Left-wing critics see insuf-

ficient condemnation; conservative critics point out that it is the narrator, an agent of

empire, who explicitly denounces the British presence as pervasively corrupting to

both sides. The story is one of the most widely anthologized and studied items of the

modern English-language canon.

2.0 Theme

• A theme is the main idea, or message, of an essay, paragraph, or a book.

2.1 The Evil of Imperialism

One of the theme in the story is iImperialism is evil. First, it humiliates the

occupied people, reducing them to inferior status in their own country. Second, it

goads the occupiers into making immoral or unethical decisions to maintain their

superiority over the people. In “Shooting an Elephant,” the narrator acts against his

own conscience to save face for himself and his fellow imperialists. For example

some line in the short story is “I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I

served”. 

2.2 Loss of Freedom in a Colonized Land

Second theme is when imperialists colonize a country, they restrict the

freedom of the natives. In so doing, the imperialists also unwittingly limit their own

freedom in that they tend to avoid courses of action that could provoke the occupied

people. In “Shooting an Elephant,” the narrator realizes that he should allow the

elephant to live, but he shoots the animal anyway to satisfy the crowd of natives who

want him to kill it. He then says, I perceived in this moment that when the white man

turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow,

posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib. For it is the condition of his

rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the "natives," and so in every

crisis he has got to do what the "natives" expect of him. He wears a mask, and his

face grows to fit it. 

2.3 Prejudice

Although the narrator seems to respect the natives as fellow human beings,

other Europeans regard the Burmese and Indians with contempt—an attitude made

clear near the end of the story: "[T]he younger [Europeans] said it was a damn

shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more

than any damn Coringhee coolie."

.......Historically, the British placed their own men in positions of authority in the

colonial government in India, which then incorporated Burma, and natives in inferior

positions. Moreover, the British generally did not socialize with the natives. 

3.0Setting

Setting includes time and place. Details that describe setting might include weather,

time of day, location, landscape, and even furniture. All of these things can contribute to the

understanding of a scene.

In most stories, the action changes from one place to another.

Time can be expressed specifically or in general terms, such as the time of

day, the time of the year, or a time in the past or future.

For example, The setting is Burma (present-day Myanmar) in the 1920s, when

the country was a province of India. The action takes place in the town of Moulmein

in the southern part of the province, called Lower Burma, a rice-growing region on

the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

4.0 Plot

Plot is all the events in a story particularly rendered toward the achievement of

some particular artistic or emotional effect or general theme.

Plot consists of five components to plot which is exposition, rising action , Climax, Falling action, and Resolution.

Exposition is the beginning of the plot that concerned with introducing

characters and setting. Then, rising action which is the central part of a story during

which various problems arise, leading up to the climax. Climax is the high point of the

story, where a culmination of events create the peak of the conflict. Falling action is a

part of a story following the climax. Lastly, resolution action which mean the

conclusion of the story.

Climax

Rising Action Falling Action

Exposition Resolution