Shooting an Elephant Video Summary

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“Shooting an Elephant” is a narrative essay written by George Orwell in 1936. Based on Orwell’s own experience working as a police officer for the British Empire in Burma, the essay describes an episode in which Orwell attempts to control a rampaging elephant. Orwell is known for his social criticism; here, the elephant killing is a metaphor for the brutality of colonialism.
Orwell introduces himself as a conflicted young man working as a police officer for the British Raj in Burma. On one hand, he has witnessed and contributed to the atrocities perpetrated against the Burmese people on behalf of the British Empire. Due to this experience, he has grown opposed to the British colonial project in Burma.
On the other hand, Orwell must still carry out his duties as a police officer. The people of Burma hate the British, and as a result, they harass and mock Orwell, whom they see as an agent of the Empire. Orwell finds himself resenting the Burmese people and tries to avoid interacting with them.
One day, Orwell learns that an elephant suffering from “must”--a passing disorder causing elephants to become uncontrollably violent- has broken free from its chains and is rampaging through the local bazaar. Compelled to police the situation, Orwell sets out with a small rifle, although he has no intention of killing the elephant.
At first, Orwell has a difficult time getting answers from the locals about where the elephant has gone. When he arrives at the bazaar, he comes upon the mess the elephant has made. Not only has it trampled grass huts and turned over a garbage truck, but also, it has killed a man. Orwell sends for an elephant rifle. Still, he claims to have no intention of killing the elephant.
Finally, the Burmese lead Orwell to some paddy fields, where the elephant is grazing peacefully. Immediately, Orwell feels that it would be wrong to shoot the elephant. It is a magnificent creature, which Orwell compares to a complex piece of machinery. It seems “no more dangerous than a cow,” as the bout of must seems to have passed.
However, a crowd of at least 2,000 Burmese people have followed him to the fields. Feeling their eyes on him, Orwell understands that the crowd expects him to kill the elephant, as they desire both the spectacle and the elephant meat.
More importantly, they expect him to uphold the performance of power that he is meant to represent as an officer of the British Empire. In this moment, Orwell grasps the ways in which colonizers are beholden to the colonized. If he falters, he will not only let down the guise of power, but create an opportunity for the people to laugh at him. In this way, he realizes that the Empire is kept afloat by a fear of humiliation instilled in individual officers.
Ashamed, Orwell gets down on the ground, taking aim at the elephant’s brain. He fires, striking the elephant in the head. To his surprise, the elephant doesn't die. Instead, a disturbing change comes over it, and it seems merely to age. Firing again, Orwell brings the elephant to its knees. Still, it refuses to die.
Firing a third time, Orwell is stunned to see the elephant rearing onto its hind legs and lifting its trunk. Finally, it thunders to the ground, but it is still breathing. Orwell unloads bullet after bullet into the elephant’s heart, but it refuses to die. Unable to listen to the animal’s tortured breathing any longer, Orwell leaves. Impatient, the crowd rushes the elephant, taking its meat. Later, Orwell learns that it took the elephant a half an hour to die.
In time, Orwell asks his fellow police officers whether he did the right thing. While the older officers think he did the proper thing, the younger ones feel that it was a shame, since, they claim, the elephant is worth more than a Burmese citizen’s life. “I often wondered,” he writes, “whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.”

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[@GradeSaver]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tonydiemaccaroni5934]

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[@sherifsaad745]

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[@jetstreamafif1787]

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[@simabhusal3109]

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[@pratimakarki6438]

Thank you so much❤

[@addrinbhuzel6784]

❤nice way of teaching through picture

[@hustler3577]

Great story telling

[@albestarkhonglam3551]

Good explanation sir ,thank somuch

[@amyluai6293]

You should make a video on the book “the breadwinner” by Deborah Ellis

[@shaima2089]

Thanks And I really appreciate ur pronunciation 😍 it's amazing.

[@GradeSaver]

Thank you thank you ❤️

[@Asegh]

The story is so much more complex than that. Please read the book

[@seya-wl1uk]

Do you mind explaining?

[@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm975]

@@seya-wl1uk the policeman is against the british ideologies but also hates the burmnese people for making fun of him. He knows he shouldnt kill the elephant but is influenced by the burmese people. He is nervous and scared that hey would make fun of him if he doesnt shoot the elephant. He thinks he has to impress them and to represent the strong btitsh empire. ( earlier he sad he does not identify with the british ideologies). He is such a pussy that he kills the elephant since they would laugh at him. But the elephant does not want to die. he shoots like 8 times and `´´ not even a bullet could damage him further´´ still shoots him not able to kill the elephant. Furthermore he is such a coward that he cant stand it any longer and leaves the scene. IN the end a few young policemen said it was a shame to kill the elephant only because he trampled a young man. In this last moment of the short story he is glad that the young man died. it put him legally in the right to kill the elephant. The last sentence is something like: I wonder if some of them noticed that I only killed the elephant to avoid looking like a fool. This shows in the end that he is a big coward and wasnt brave enough to make the right decision even if he would have been laughed at. Also he did not manage to kill the elephant completely and his skin was stripped of his body while he was dying. Hope you understand it

[@anton2192]

That's why it's called a summary.

[@lucarademacher1]

Its not an analysis, its a summary

[@suneptzudir6871]

Great

[@P.GOWTHAM-w3k]

Any one from skcas