Literary Devices
"The friction of the great beast's foot had stripped the skin from his back as neatly as one skins a rabbit"
Which type of imagery is this an exaple of?
a simile
In what country does the story take place?
Burma (part of the British Raj at the time)
What is the elephant a symbol of?
The British Empire
"In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere"
Explain what 'to sneer' means (in English)?
to smile or laugh with facial contortions that express scorn or contempt
"Here was I... Seemingly the leading actor of the piece..."
Which literary device is this an example of?
metaphor and irony
Why is Orwell asked to shoot the elephant?
The elephant had escaped its chains and after destroying homes, running through market, and killing a man, it had returned to terrorize the people again.
What are the small animals a symbol of?
The citizens of Burma.
"...ask any Anglo-Indian official, if you can catch him off duty"
Explain what is means to be 'off duty'!
to not be working
What is the value of the elephant?
The elephant has most value to its owner when it is alive because it is a work animal. To the local people, the animal has value after its death. They will use it as food.
What is the elephant gun a symbol of?
The power of the British Empire.
"I decided that I would watch him for a little while to make sure that he did not turn savage again"
Expain what 'savage' means here!
wild
Why does Orwell decide to shoot the elephant?
to avoid humiliation/being laughed at by the native onlookers (it is expected of him)
What is Orwell's significant internal struggle between?
his morals vs. his image
"I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool."
What does the word 'grasped' mean?
understood/ comprehended
[A] story always sounds clear enough at a distance, but the nearer you get to the scene of events the vaguer it becomes.
I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.
Are examples of what literary device?
paradox
What is the main idea of the story?
That imperialism isn't right and the British need to leave the colonies included in the British Raj
"It (the elephant) had been chained up, as tame elephants always are when their attack of "must" is due."
Explain what 'must' means here!
a periodic condition in bull (male) elephants characterized by aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones