JOURNAL ENTRY:

Write about a time when your actions did not

reflect your beliefs or when your actions did not
reflect who you really are.

Why was there such a difference between your

beliefs and your actions or between your real self
and your actions? Did you feel pressure to act this
way? If so, was the pressure internal or external?
SHOOTING AN A Modern British Literature
ELEPHANT: Short Story
Background
When Eric Arthur Blair was 19 years old
and hadn't yet picked up his pen name of
George Orwell he went to the far reaches
of the British Empire. He joined the Imperial
Police Force in Burma (Myanmar) and spent
five years there in the 1920s.
Shooting an Elephantone of several
works written about his experiences there
was not published until 1936.
Imperialism and the British Empire
It was once said that the sun never set on the British
Empire, whose territory touched every continent on earth.
At the height of its power in the early twentieth century
the British Empire had control over nearly two-fifths of the
world's land mass and governed an empire of between 300
and 400 million people.
It is the addition of the Southeast Asian countries today
known as Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia and Singapore that
set the stage for Orwell's vignette from the life of a
colonial official.
 HOW TO SHOOT AN ELEPHANT:
Literary Devices

Symbolism
Irony
Rhetoric: Narrative Essay
SYMBOLISM
Symbolism
General meaning: an object representing another to give it an entirely
different meaning that is much deeper and more significant.
Symbolism takes different forms. At times an action, an event or a spoken
word may have symbolic value.
EX: smile is a symbol of friendship
EX: you may find that the act of someone smiling at you symbolizes
the feeling of affection which that person has for you.
Symbols may shift their meanings depending on the context in which they
are used.
EX: A chain could stand for union or for imprisonment
(depending on context)
How are SYMBOLS understood?

THE CONTEXT (when, where & how they are

used)
THE READER
IRONY
IRONY
APPEARANCE VS REALITY
a rhetorical device, literary technique, or event
what appears, on the surface, to be the case, differs
radically from what is actually the case.
IRONY
Irony: THREE CATEGORIES:
1.Verbal
2.Dramatic
3.Situational.
IRONY
Irony: THREE CATEGORIES:
Verbal Irony:
A contradiction between the stated and intended meaning
Situational irony:
Dramatic irony and tragic irony:
IRONY
THREE CATEGORIES:
1. Verbal Irony:
2. Situational irony:
* The disparity of intention and result
* when the result of an action is contrary to the desired or
expected effect.
3. Dramatic irony and tragic irony:
IRONY
THREE CATEGORIES:
1. Verbal Irony:
2. Situational irony:
3. Dramatic irony and tragic irony:
A disparity of awareness between actor and observer:
when words and actions possess significance that the listener or
audience understands, but the speaker or character does not
EX: a character says to another "I'll see you tomorrow!" when the
audience (but not the character) knows that the character will die
before morning.
RHETORIC:
NARRATIVE
ESSAY
Rhetoric: Narrative Essay

Rhetoric: the art of effective or persuasive speaking

or writing

Narrative Essay: non-fiction, tells a story (usually

from the authors first-person point of view) in such a
way that the audience learns a lesson or gains
insight.
 Rhetoric: Narrative Essay
Orwells Shooting an Elephant is a narrative essay,
based on actual events
Orwell uses the story to make a larger argument about
imperialism.
IMPORTANT:
Look for a thesis statement
pay close attention to how the narrative supports that thesis
statement.
Review:
Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Appeals Rhetorical Analysis

Ethos= Authors Credibility You must connect a specific
literary/rhetorical strategy to an appeal.
Pathos= Appeal to the
EX: Orwell uses imagery, irony, and symbolism to
audiences emotions or argue that imperialism is just as bad for the
values imperialist as the imperialized.
Imagery=Pathos/Ethos
Logos= Appealing to irony=logos,
logic/reason symbolism=logos/pathos
METAPHORS
Metaphors
a figure of speech that refers, for rhetorical effect, to
one thing by mentioning another thing. It may provide
clarity or identify hidden similarities between two
ideas. Where a simile compares two items, a metaphor
directly equates them, and does not use "like" or "as"
as does a simile.
 Metaphors
One of the most commonly cited examples of a metaphor in English literature is the "All the
world's a stage" monologue from As You Like It:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances[...]
William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2/7[2]

Why is this a metaphor? the world is not literally a stage.

By asserting that the world is a stage, Shakespeare uses points of
comparison between the world and a stage to convey an understanding
about the mechanics of the world and the behavior of the people within it.
SHOOTING AN A Modern British Literature
ELEPHANT: Short Story
 Part 1: The Reluctant Imperialist
Read paragraphs 1-2
Find three examples of irony in the these first two paragraphs and underline them. Start
by examining the fact that Orwell is a British officer who is against the British the
empire.
What does Orwell mean when he writes that he was "theoretically all for the Burmese
and all against their oppressors." Why does he use the word "theoretically" in this
sentence, and what does he mean by it?
How does this "theoretical" belief conflict with his actual feelings? Does he show
empathy or sympathy for the Burmese in his description of this incident? Does he show a
lack of sympathy? Both? Focus on the kind of language Orwell uses. How does he convey
these feelings through his use of language?
What are some of the internal conflicts Orwell describes feeling in his role as a colonial
police officer? Circle any sentence that reveals on internal conflict.
Reading Shooting an Elephant

You should finish reading and annotating the

narrative for homework.
I will collect and grade you annotations after our
discussion of the text tomorrow.
We are going to have a short quiz on this text. You
may use your copy of the story ONLY if you can
show me that you have clearly and correctly
annotated it!
 Discussion Groups

Discuss all of the questions with your discussion group.

Go back and re-read portions of the text. Make notes in the
margins and you discuss and gain new insights into the text.
Be prepared to share your top insights with the class.
On the back, explain what the shooting of the elephant
symbolizes. How does this reinforce Orwells main argument?
If you are not discussing, then you will be required to write out your
responses to each question and submit them for a grade.
What does the shooting and death of the
elephant symbolize?
Lecture: Symbolism
1. It represents a death of his innocence so to speak. As
a young employee representing Britain in a foreign land,
he did not first realize the often negative impact his
country had upon its subjects.
2. The death of the elephant also symbolizes a rebellion
against the rule of the British. The Burmese people
clamor for the elephant's death just as they long to see
the death of the huge British Empire's rule in their
country.
3. The idea of the elephant dying slowly in a "world
remote," demonstrates the death of British ideals and
ultimate power. Ironically, Orwell sees the British way of
life being destroyed not in Britain where humans might
mourn their loss but in a far away land where Britain tried
to impose its customs upon others.
Lecture: Symbolism

The elephant is the central symbol of the story.

Orwell uses it to represent the effect of colonialism on both the colonizer
and the colonized. The elephant, like a colonized populace, has its liberty
restricted, and it becomes violently rebellious only as a response to being
shackled.
Orwell, a colonizer, feels a similar ambivalence towards the elephant as he
does towards the Burmese locals. While he recognizes that both are
harmless and peaceful and have suffered wrongs at the hands of others, he
still perpetuates barbarous treatment of both, simply in order to uphold an
irrational standard of imperial behavior.
Lecture: Symbolism

He kills the elephant simply because he fears that he would be humiliated if

he failed to do so.
In much the same way, colonial savagery perpetuates itself simply because
colonists fear that they would look weak or ridiculous if they acted less
inhumanely.
Orwell further humanizes the elephant by referring to it throughout the
story with the pronoun he, rather than it.
Metaphors

What do the metaphors (especially

in paragraph 7) reveal?

How do they help support the

thesis?
 Irony

What are some

examples of irony in
the story?

Why does Orwell use

this devise throughout?
Review:
Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Appeals Rhetorical Analysis

Ethos= Authors Credibility You must connect a specific
literary/rhetorical strategy to an appeal.
Pathos= Appeal to the
EX: Orwell uses imagery, irony, and symbolism to
audiences emotions or argue that imperialism is just as bad for the
values imperialist as the imperialized.
Imagery=Pathos/Ethos
Logos= Appealing to irony=logos,
logic/reason symbolism=logos/pathos
Incorporating Quotes: Analysis vs. Summary

How to avoid the dreaded

Orphan Quote Paper
The WayTooManyEllipses Paper
The No Context Paper
The No/Limited Commentary Paper
UNIT 1 TEST