Subject- The subject of George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant is narrative story about the shooting of an elephant in Burma. An elephant becomes angered and starts trashing the place and Orwell’s fictional character, which is a policeman, sets out to kill the elephant. Orwell didn’t want to kill the elephant but he felt like he had to because he is already a minority and all of the natives were expecting him too.
Occasion- Shooting an Elephant was written in the early 1900’s. The essay’s time of creation is displayed when Orwell says, “I did not even know the British Empire was dying.” This quote is referring to the time period when Britain ruled over India from the late 1850’s to 1947. The probable place of the essay’s creation is probable Burma because everything in this article is so detailed so it seems like Orwell was able to remember what was going on very clearly.
The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay by creating a very fervent attitude toward the subject which would be the hate felt towards the Brits. One example that portrays this hate is when Orwell states that “…in an aimless, petty kind of way anti-European feeling was very bitter.” This supports Orwell’s point because it shows how alone and miserable he was at this time.
Audience- Orwell’s specific audience for Shooting an Elephant is for the stressed out and/or pressured workers. The authors’ target audience is revealed when Orwell discusses the pressure he was under to shoot the elephant and how the crowd really influenced his decision and actions.
The author’s general audience for the essay is working men and woman as a whole. The author’s general audience is shown to the reader when Orwell starts talking about how he was just doing his job and technically he was doing the right thing.
Purpose- Orwell’s purpose in Shooting an Elephant is to depict the effects of decision making under pressure and how someone’s judgment can be quickly influenced by the affects of a crowd. This is illustrated when Orwell states, “ The sole thought in my mind was that if anything went wrong those two thousand Burmans would see me pursued, caught, trampled on and reduced to a grinning corpse like that Indian up the hill. And if that happened it was quite probable that some of them would laugh. That would never do.” This quotes validates the purpose of the essay because it is showing how even though Orwell was had authority over the Burmans, his decisions were affected by the crowd that was watching him.
Speaker- George Orwell, who was very passionate about the colonizing of India, believes that the colonization of India was a poor choice because even thought the Britain’s had control, they were still hated amongst the natives. This value is illustrated in the beginning when Orwell is talking about the hatred he feels because he is an officer and how out-of-place he also feels just because he is from Britain.
Tone- Orwell exhibits a depressed and regretful attitude about the shooting of the elephant in Shooting an Elephant. These attitudes are expressed by Orwell’s humiliating words and attitudes in the essay. The tone specifically adds the purpose of the essay because it shows how Orwell truly felt about killing the elephant which was sad and regretful.
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