Dec 21, 2009

Shooting an Elephant | Topics for Further Study

The theme of sacrifice in ‘‘Shooting an Elephant’’ is also evident in Orwell’s essay ‘‘A Hanging.’’ Read ‘‘A Hanging’’ and compare it with ‘‘Shooting an Elephant.’’ What elements do the two pieces have in common? What fundamental human traits do they explore?

The narrator of ‘‘Shooting an Elephant’’ is an agent of the British Empire and is thus implicated in the ‘‘dirty business’’ of British imperial affairs. He is also a man of conscience. Discuss the narrator’s guilt. To what extent should he be condemned for participating in...