presentation about short story

1. It all depends on the type of story
you got assigned with, BUT still,
your presentation should:
• Give the group a general idea about the
plot of your story
• Give some general description or an
analysis of the characters/character of the
story
• Give information about the main themes of
the story
• Give your own opinion about the story
• Be interesting

2. “Shooting an Elephant”
by George Orwell
Model template

3. What was the author’s purpose
for writing the story?
1) To convey to the reader his views
and opinions about imperialism and
colonialism.
2) To persuade/convince the reader to
adopt his views and opinions about
colonialism and imperialism.

4. • Colonialism/imperialism is wrong.
• Colonialism/imperialism is futile (pointless).
• Colonialists mistreat and oppress the native
peoples.
• Colonialists were tyrannical and abused their
power.
What are his main views and
opinions?

5. Main themes of the text
1. Imperialism
2. Racism and poverty
3. Oppression
4. Anonymity

6. Theme 1: imperialism
Orwell highlights the serious
repercussions/negative consequences of
imperialism on the Burmese
people/Burmese society.
He emphasises that imperialism is
fundamentally wrong. He is greatly
opposed to it.

7. “destroyed somebody’s bamboo hut,
killed a cow, raided some fruit stores”
Orwell is emphasising the brutally
destructive impact of the Empire on
Burma/the Burmese people.

8. Just as the elephant has ruined and
demolished parts of the town, so too has
the British Empire had a ruinous and
destructive impact on the countries it
conquered and ruled.
The British have exploited the Burmese
people for their own gain, reaping the
benefits of the country’s resources.
However, in doing so, the country has
been significantly weakened and left in
state of poverty.

9. “had no weapons, were quite
helpless against it”
Orwell emphasises that the Burmese people
were too weak and feeble to prevent the
British from dominating and subjugating
them. They do not have the means to
defeat the British Empire and expel the
British colonisers from their lands.

10. Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The British Empire is being compared to the
escaped elephant.
Just as the elephant was powerful, strong and
unstoppable, so too were the Burmese people
unable to prevent the British colonisers from
conquering them, exploiting them and imposing
their own culture and values.

11. “imperialism was an evil thing”
Even though Orwell is British and is
employed by the British Empire, he still
believes that imperialism is inherently
wicked, malicious, ruthless, abominable,
immoral. It has no moral or ethical
justification. It has no redeeming qualities
whatsoever.

12. Theme 2: racism and poverty
Orwell suggests that the Burmese people
were forced to endure poverty and racism
at the hands of their British colonisers.

13. “the owner was furious, but he was
only an Indian and could do nothing”
.
• Highlights the racist views of the British
colonisers and the racism that the Burmese
natives had to ensure during British rule. The
Empire was institutionally racist. The Burmese
people were discriminated against due to their
nationality and race. The British colonisers
regarded themselves as being racially, culturally
and intellectually superior to the natives.

14. “only an Indian”
The Burmese people were regarded by the
British as being unimportant, insignificant,
irrelevant, less than human, inferior,
worthless, not worthy of respect, low-
ranking, low on the social hierarchy.

15. “stripped his body almost to the
bones by afternoon”
Orwell highlights the impoverished state of the
Burmese people.
They are so poor that every part of the carcass of
the dead elephant becomes an important source
of income for them.
They have been reduced to this level of desperation
and poverty due to being exploited and
subjugated by the British colonisers.

16. Theme 3: oppression
• The Burmese people are oppressed by the
British Empire as their freedom is removed.
• Orwell is oppressed by the British Empire as he
is forced into doing something that he does not
wish to do (killing the elephant). The British
Empire forces him into acting against his own
conscience. He is forced to do something which
he believes is morally wrong.

17. “Powerless to move, and yet
powerless to die”
Symbolism
The elephant is used to represent the
Burmese people.
Just as the elephant is trapped and
immobile due to its injuries, so too were
the Burmese people unable to escape the
control and dominance of their colonisers.

18. The Burmese people had no choice but to
endure the hardship, mistreatment and
loss of freedom that was imposed on them
by the tyrannical and dictatorial rule of the
British Empire.
They lacked the means by which to fight
back against the British and regain their
liberty and dignity.

19. “only an absurd puppet”
Metaphor.
Just as a puppet is controlled and
manipulated by a puppeteer, so too did
Orwell believe that he was
forced/pressurised into performing certain
acts due to his employment in the British
Empire.

20. Orwell also feels pressured into killing the elephant
by the crowd, who are actively encouraging him.
He realises that he must kill the animal in order to
maintain his authority over them, and maintain
their respect.
The provocative behaviour of the crowd/ the power
of the mob also mean that Orwell does not have
the freedom to act according to what he believes
is morally correct. He succumbs to their
pressure.

21. Theme 4: anonymity
Orwell’s description of the Burmese people
highlights how the British Empire
oppressed the natives by stripping them of
their identity and making them anonymous.
The people were dehumanised by the
process of being colonised.
Orwell reveals his own racism, prejudice,
contempt and disdain towards the Burmese
people. His own views reflect how the
Burmese people were viewed as being
inferior by the British Empire.

22. “a sea of yellow faces”
Metaphor.
Orwell suggests that the Burmese people are not
worthy of being seen as individuals in their own
right: they are just a crowd of nameless, faceless,
unremarkable people.
Orwell does not regard them as being important
enough to have their own identity or voice. Orwell
denies them their individuality. Their personality,
background, opinions are not important to him as,
from his perspective, they are inferior human
beings.

23. He describes them as being “yellow”
throughout the text. This emphasises that
he believes that the most significant thing
about them is the colour of their skin.
The word “yellow” also has negative
connotations of unpleasant, unhealthy,
illness. This could reflect his racist views
towards the Burmese people.