Description:

George Orwell - Shooting an Elephant

A. Read "Shooting an Elephant" and answer the following questions about it. Diction (Word Choice). What kind of language does Orwell use when describing the elephant? Why do you think he chose these exact words? What image do these words conjure up? What connotations do certain words have? What is the emotional association?

Tone (Author's attitude toward the subject). How would you describe Orwell's tone in this essay? What is his attitude toward the elephant? Does it change?

Sentence Fluency: What do the sentences in which he describing the elephant sound like when read out loud? Does Orwell use repetition (of either phrases, sentence structures, or certain words) or any interesting punctuation?

Pacing: How would you describe the movement of the essay? Does it move slowly or quickly? Is it consistent or does it change? What's happening in the narrative during these times?

Organization: How does Orwell present his description of the elephant? How does he describe the elephant at the beginning, middle and end of essay?

B. Review your answers and select one or two of the most interesting textual elements (diction, imagery, tone, pacing, etc) you've discovered. Write them below:

C. Based on what you've chosen, identify 3 quotes from the essay that show those elements. Ideally, each quote should reveal a new aspect of the element. Write in the space provided.

D. Given all your discoveries, what do you think Orwell's larger message about imperialism is? Write your answer below.

E. Write your thesis statement. It should contain the 1 or 2 textual elements you'll be analyzing in your paper (B) and your interpretation of the text (D). Your thesis statement should be 1 or 2 sentences.