S- The subject of this essay is the author’s experience in Burma. He worked as a police officer in the British-controlled country. This essay deals with the personal conflicts the author has with his job, most particularly having to shoot and kill an elephant. He is very troubled and feels both guilty and antagonistic towards the Burmese people. The author feels especially antagonistic, however, to the British Empire ruling Burma.
O- International conflict is the main occasion in the essay. The British Empire was at that time reigning over Burma. 1922, the year when George Orwell wrote this essay, was in the middle of the two World Wars (I and II). The world was in a transition phase. The balance of power was changing hands, and Britain at that time held control of Burma, a country in Southeast Asia.
A-The audience of Orwell’s essay is politically active readers. One of the issues that Orwell covers in his essay is the dilemma of Imperial governments. Specifically, he stated the pros and cons of the British Empire. Politically active readers are more likely to be interested in Orwell’s essay than those who aren’t as active politically. Plus, those who are involved in government agencies may also hold an interest in Orwell’s because of its relevance.
P-The purpose of Orwell’s essay is simple. He wants to persuade readers that the British Empire’s control of Burma was bad for everyone involved. First of all, the Burmese population was basically enslaved by another country. Having police officers watching your every move is definitely not the optimal lifestyle. On the other side of the coin, the British were dealing with a potentially rebellious group of people. They were faced with the difficult job of keeping some sort of order in Burma. Overall, it was definitely not an ideal situation.
S- The speaker is George Orwell, a British Journalist and political activist. He is against the political model of totalitarianism. Instead, Orwell supports democratic society. This is good potential for Orwell to have some potential bias in his essay, specifically where he attacks the British Empire. His experiences in Burma (the subject of the essay) also have a great emotional influence on him. All of this is justification for Orwell’s opinions to the situation he encountered in Burma.
Tone- The tone I felt when the Orwell shot the elephant has depressing. It made me feel really sad. I felt like there was nothing I could do to save the innocent (my opinion) elephant. It made feel negative towards the rowdy and rebellious Burmese people, who were apparently cheering Orwell on as he painfully shot the elephant. In addition, Orwell’s description of the elephant’s harsh and slow death was hard for me to take in. I really didn’t feel great after reading it. In a way, that helped drive his main point home about his antagonism towards the British Empire.
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