English
101 / Essay 1 Assignment
Page
minimum: 3 pp; MLA formatting
Note: Choose
just one of the topics below. Support your key points
with examples and brief quotations. Please avoid “writing for the
teacher.” Assume that you are writing for an audience of educated readers who
have not read the text you are analyzing. Also, avoid using
the first-person. Please note also that in the Content area you can find tabs
for guidelines on MLA formatting and on quotation (in a separate tab).
Topic
1:
George Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant” is an attempt to illustrate what
he calls the “real nature of imperialism.” Your job in this assignment is
to analyze the essay, showing in detail how the shooting
incident depicted in the narrative supports Orwell’s purpose. The following
questions should give you some sense of direction:
1. Thesis
prompt: What, in a nutshell, does Orwell mean by “the real nature of
imperialism”?
2.
What is the nature of the personal dilemma that Orwell faces as a policeman in
lower Burma in the mid 1920’s? (Here discuss his ambivalent feelings
about the natives, his view of imperialism, etc.)
3. How
might the death of the “coolie” be presented symbolically to reinforce the
reader’s understanding of the oppressive nature of imperialism?
4. What
factors cause Orwell to hesitate before shooting the elephant?
5. Why
does he decide that he has no choice but to shoot the elephant, and what has
this to do with the “real nature of imperialism”? (This is where you should
nail down your thesis statement; it will be the most important paragraph in the
essay, and probably the longest.)
6. Why
does Orwell dwell at great length on the slow and agonizing death of the elephant?
How might this passage play into his imperialism theme?
7. In
your conclusion, consider Orwell’s closing remarks on the shooting incident and
reflect upon the relevance of his essay today.
