Shooting an elephant

The subject of George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant is Guilt. The idea of guilt is illustrated by The large amounts of guilt felt by the main character after killing the elephant. When he kills the elephant, he does not actually want to , but is pressured into doing it. After seeing it suffer for a half an hour, the guilt this causes him is great.

Shooting an Elephant was written in autumn of 1936. This is illustrated by the publication date. Because it tells exactly when it was first published, we can easily infer when it was written. The probable place of this essay's creation was in Burma. This is because it took place there. More than likely, Orwell still wrote it while in Burma.

The time and place that this essay were created influenced the author because of the culture in Burma at the time. In the text, most Burmese hated Europeans like himself. Because of this, when near the elephant, the pressure caused by the many people who hated him caused him to kill the elephant.

Orwell's specific audience for Shooting an Elephant is people who succumb to peer pressures. The authors largest target audience is revealed by him succumbing to peer pressures and feeling guilty about it. This gives a personal connection to the readers.

The authors general audience for this essay is anyone who feels like the have to do something they will regret. The author's audience is communicated by him feeling forced to kill the elephant and feeling bad about it after. This is relates to anyone who feels the need to do something they'll regret.

The author's purpose in Shooting an Elephant was to express the guilt that can come with succumbing to peer pressure. The pain of this decision is manifested by "But I did not want to shoot the Elephant." He obviously did not want to kill the animal but did it anyway.

George Orwell, writer of many famous novels believes that pointless killing is wrong. This value is illustrated by him saying that he does not like it. It is obvious he hates it if he simply states that he does This influenced the purpose because he is trying to caution against doing something you're against.

Orwell also believes that it is hard to resist peer pressure. This value is illustrated by him succumbing to it in the essay. He is surrounded by Burmese shouting and decides to kill the elephant. This influences the purpose because he feels guilty about succumbing to the pressure in this situation.

Orwell articulates a shameful and dark attitude about his guilt in Shooting an Elephant. These attitudes are expressed with his narration when he states how much he hated killing the animal. These show his shameful attitude, because he is the one expressing the guilt in the essay. The authors tone improves the essay because it adds a personal note. It shows how he felt about what he did. This is because Orwell tells personally how he felt about killing the elephant.