Set in Burma during the British rule, George Orwell's short story "Shooting an Elephant" unfolds with a white policeman as the narrator. He finds himself compelled to face a rogue elephant wreaking havoc on crops, buildings, and even causing a fatality. Preparing himself with his weapons, he embarks on a journey towards the rogue elephant, gradually attracting a growing crowd of locals. Stuck without the presence of the elephant's owner, the narrator must grapple with a crucial decision regarding whether or not to shoot the elephant.
The narrator is torn between his own desires and the expectations placed upon him. He comes to the realization that he is being manipulated by the yellow faces, stating, "I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of the yellow faces behind" (3). Although he ultimately shoot
...s the elephant, it does not die immediately. Despite firing several rounds into the animal, it endures a prolonged and painful death from its wounds. The story's context revolves around imperialism and the narrator's unwillingness to make a decision that goes against his own wishes in order to save face in front of a hostile crowd.
Despite his power and authority, he was still despised and ridiculed by the "evil-spirited little beasts" (1) surrounding him. His sole motive for shooting and taking down the elephant was to uphold his control; he feared that failing to do so would result in losing respect from the locals. Ultimately, he defended his act of power by asserting that he had merely followed the law and possessed the rightful authority to shoot the elephant, given that it had already taken a life. Quotation sandwic
* Into/signal statement * Quote itself * Citation * Explanation/analyzation * justification
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