Shooting an elephant

1. Shooting an elephant Ryan Lockner 11/1/13 1ST Period

2. Author Background Information: His real name is Eric Arthur Blair but his pen name is “George Orwell.” He was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, critic and was commonly ranked as one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century. His maternal grandmother lived in Burma which is how he knew so much about imperialism going on there.

3. Theme • Never fall victim to peer pressure.

4. Plot • The story started with an English policeman that was hated by all of the towns people. When he hears of a tamed elephant that has gone ramped he sets of to go find it and kill it. When he finally finds it, it was so peaceful that he didn’t want to shoot it. But when all of the people crowed around him waiting for him to shoot it, it makes him feel pressured into doing something he did not want to do. He ended up shooting the elephant and realizing he should not have done it.

5. Character/Speaker Descriptions • Narrator- Young Englishman Serving as an police officer in the 1920’s.

6. Conflict • The story involved the character having a conflict with society. When he finds the elephant he doesn’t want to shoot the elephant but as the crowd was watching him he felt like he had no other choice.

7. Resolution • The way the character solved the conflict was not the way I would have approached it. He decided to go with what the people wanted him to do which was by causing a slow painful death to the elephant.

8. Memorable Line • “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” • I lick this line because it is saying that the man is slowly becoming what they want him to be.

9. What gun did he shoot the elephant with? • Why did he not want to shoot the elephant? • Do you think the pressure played a big part in his decision to shoot the elephant?

10. It is estimated that about 500 people are killed each year by elephants, either where they live or in captive situations.