Do Now Now: Grab your novels 15 minutes of silent reading FYI: Reading Response sheets for Cycle 4 are due on Thursday/Friday, February 9th/10th. You may turn them in anytime between now and then. Better early than never! Then: 10 minutes of vocabulary.com Please see your “assignments” link for this week’s list. This list is due Monday, February 13th.

“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell

QuickWrite Reflect on a time when you felt obligated to do something you knew was wrong. Write about that situation. Who did you feel pressured by? How did you feel before you made the decision? Afterwards? Any regrets now? Explain.

Why did Orwell write the text? What was the author’s purpose? To convey to the reader his views and opinions about imperialism and colonialism. To persuade/convince the reader to adopt his views and opinions about colonialism and imperialism.

Background Info Setting - Burma (present-day Myanmar) in the 1920s, when the country was a province of India. The action takes place in the town of Moulmein. Orwell arrived in Burma at a time when Burmese natives began to assert themselves against British rule. This short story parallels the absurd and the directionless manner in which Great Britain continued to extend imperialism.

What are his main views and opinions? Colonialism/imperialism is wrong. Colonialism/imperialism is futile (pointless). Colonialists mistreat and oppress the native people. Colonialists were tyrannical and abused their power.

Main themes of the text Imperialism Racism Poverty Oppression Anonymity

Main techniques used Anecdote Metaphor Setting Imagery Word choice Symbolism

“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell Let’s Read! “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell

Let’s Discuss! Each group will discuss one of the five themes presented in the story. Imperialism (green) Racism (blue) Poverty (orange) Oppression (pink) Anonymity (yellow) You will create a poster that: Defines your theme Describes how the theme was presented in the story using at least three of the main techniques (Anecdote, Metaphor, Setting, Imagery, Word choice, and/or Symbolism)

Oppression Oppression: prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control Symbolism – The elephant The elephant is used to represent the oppressed Burmese people. Word Choice -- “Powerless to move, and yet powerless to die” Just as the elephant is trapped and immobile due to its injuries, so were the Burmese people. They were unable to escape the control and dominance of their oppressors, the British colonizers. Metaphor -- “only an absurd puppet” Just as a puppet is controlled and manipulated by a puppeteer, Orwell believed that he was pressured into performing certain acts due to his employment with the British Empire.

For the remainder of the class period… You should be ACTIVELY working on this week’s vocabulary list.