43 pages 1 hour read

George Orwell

Shooting an Elephant

Nonfiction | Essay / Speech | Adult | Published in 1936

A 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.

Literary Devices

Conflict

Orwell uses both external and internal conflict as he details the narrator’s struggles with his position as a British officer and his disgust for the ruling power he must satisfy. He is internally vocal about his rage against imperialism, and yet he can’t externalize it for fear of looking foolish in front of the natives. He believes in the Burmese and would rather support their efforts, but he is trapped in a job he is hoping to soon quit. For now, he remains conflicted and must play his part in the imperial system. An elephant that has gone “must” propels him to satisfy both the British Raj and the Burmese. Yet his internal conflict persists until he walks away from the crowd, the elephant, and, in the end, his conscience.

Repetition

Authors often use repetition to emphasize something they want readers to pay attention to. For example, the narrator of “Shooting an Elephant” repeatedly says he does not want to shoot the elephant. In some cases, we read it as a declaration, and in others as a question since he is conflicted throughout the essay.

Related Titles

By George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

A Hanging

George Orwell

A Hanging

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Burmese Days

George Orwell

Burmese Days

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Coming Up for Air

George Orwell

Coming Up for Air

George Orwell

Plot Summary

logo

Down and Out in Paris and London

George Orwell

Down and Out in Paris and London

George Orwell

Plot Summary

logo

Homage To Catalonia

George Orwell

Homage To Catalonia

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Keep the Aspidistra Flying

George Orwell

Keep the Aspidistra Flying

George Orwell

Plot Summary

logo

Politics and the English Language

George Orwell

Politics and the English Language

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Such, Such Were the Joys

George Orwell

Such, Such Were the Joys

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

The Road to Wigan Pier

George Orwell

The Road to Wigan Pier

George Orwell

Study Guide

logo

Why I Write

George Orwell

Why I Write

George Orwell