1. ~ George Orwell ~ “Shooting an Elephant”
Ashley Misiuda

2. George Orwell Born on June 25, 1903 Motihari, India
Was sent to boarding school but never went to college
Eventually became a English novelist
Most famous for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949)
Went to Burma as an assistant district superintendent in the Indian Imperial Police
Fighter of political change
Used to “cut throat” environment
Influenced the literary universe as well as the real world

3. Summary
George Orwell portrays a British colonial police officer in Burma who is called to kill a destructive elephant that has destroyed people's property and even killed a man. The officer is reluctant to shoot the elephant but is pressured to do so by the fear that the Burmese people will think he’s weak if he does not. Because the narrator knows he is so hated, he must kill the elephant to attempt to gain their respect and demonstrate that the British are willing to use brutal force to maintain control. He is morally against killing the elephant but he must play the part in being the brutal dictator that the Burmese people imagine him to be.

4. CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Places humanity, violence, politics, power, dominance, race, and culture on the same platform
Alienated white man working for the British Imperial Police in Burma
The elephant itself is a symbol of the imperial power
Was against the inhumanity and cruelty of imperialism
Orwell as the British officer is compelled to represent the savage British stereotype
Cultural identity locks individuals into roles that challenge individuals to act in a certain way

5. Historical Context
Set in a town in southern Burma during the colonial period
Prior to British intervention in the nineteenth century Burma was a sovereign kingdom
After three wars between the British forces and the Burmese, the country fell under British control
It would remain an Indian province until it was granted the status of an individual British colony in 1937
Burma gained its independence in January 1948.

6. Work Cited