Problem
Close Reading of "Shooting an Elephant."
1. Do you think the narrator feels more pressure to act in a certain way from the Burmese who expect him to kill an elephant on their behalf or from rules in the British Empire?
2. Does the story clearly indicate the narrator's pride in his dominance by the use of a firearm over the elephant? Explain your answer.
3. The final paragraph points firmly to the author's ethical dilemma in having shot the elephant. What would you say are the various social and economic pressures that play upon the narrator's conscience by the end of the story?
4. What would you say the author values more, the lives of humans or his reputation? Whether it is the latter or not, is he concerned more about his reputation among the Burmese or the British government?
5. Why does the issue of the value of the elephant come under discussion? In what way might this prompt some to think of the issue of economic power England over Burma? If so, what does it say about England's colonialism?