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Post by Ms. English on May 30, 2023 8:26:58 GMT -5
Post your answers to the discussion question here. Make sure to read the responses of those posted before you and respond directly to them when appropriate before posting your own.
Why does Orwell shoot the elephant?
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Post by audrey on Jul 6, 2023 12:43:39 GMT -5
Orwell shoots the elephant because he didn’t want to look weak and foolish in front of the crowd. The crowd of local people expected Orwell to shoot the elephant because it had gone “must” meaning it went on a rampage and killed a black Dravidian coolie. However, Orwell did not feel the same way the crowd did, he did not want to kill the elephant. When he was searching for the elephant, he spotted it peacefully eating grass eight yards from the road minding its own business. At that moment, Orwell knew he shouldn’t shoot him because in his eyes Orwell didn't see him as any more dangerous than a cow. But the crowd behind him were too excited and were having too much fun just waiting for Orwell to kill the elephant so Orwell, under the pressure and worried he would be laughed at, decided to shoot the elephant. He shot the elephant five times but he still didn’t die, Orwell couldn’t stand there any longer watching it slowly die so he left and later heard that the elephant took half an hour to die. Many Europeans had different opinions about the elephant shooting, people saw the shooting of the elephant by Orwell as an act of justice but Orwell still wondered if anyone knew that the real reason he shot the elephant was solely because he didn’t want to look foolish.
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Post by Arianna McCord on Jul 6, 2023 14:12:12 GMT -5
Orwell shoots the elephant because there was a crowd behind him waiting upon the killing. Orwell had talked about how his whole life he had tried not to get laughed at. As much as he didn't want to kill the elephant, he didn't want to look like a fool in front of the crowd. He knew killing the elephant was wrong and wouldn't have changed anything but he knew the crowd was expecting him to do such a task and didn't want to waste all of the progress he had made through out his life to not get made fun of. Even after the elephant dying, there were still mixed feelings about the killing. Though the whole situation happened because Orwell didn't want to get laughed at.
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Post by Marley Mickel on Jul 9, 2023 3:42:18 GMT -5
In “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, Orwell shoots the elephant because he did not want to look weak in front of everyone. It is clear that Orwell is struggling with being self-conscious in this situation because of the crowd of people following him and with that crowd constantly growing by the second, it seemingly put more pressure on Orwell than what he usually faces. It is stated multiple times throughout the text that Orwell did NOT want to shoot the elephant however the pressure that was put on him by the crowd made him feel like he was obligated to shoot the elephant though I believe the situation could have been handled a different way if he really didnt want to kill the elephant. But we all understand the feeling of pressure as well as the feeling of wanting to impress people. It was wrong for the crowd to form and follow Orwell in my opinion I don't think they were very mindful because they could have distracted Orwell in a situation of the elephant being destructive if it did happen.
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Post by Emerson Agnello on Jul 10, 2023 15:25:03 GMT -5
Orwell shoots the elephant so that he is not seen as a coward in front of the town. In the essay, he is constantly debating and justifying if what he chose to do was right. He says himself he "had no intention of shooting the elephant," but as the crowd began to form and people "expected it of [him]," his desire to fit in overcame his thoughts of what he believed. Orwell knew he didn't need to shoot the elephant and that it was just peacefully eating when he went to shoot it, but he was tired of the people who lived there picking at him and laughing. The pressure of having thousands of people watching his every move motivated him to want and make the crowd happy and impress them, so he shot the elephant. When he did, the crowd was pleased about his decision, and Orwell even thought his actions were justified legally.
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Post by Hailey Lowry on Jul 16, 2023 11:09:28 GMT -5
In “Shooting an Elephant”, Orwell shoots the elephant to “avoid looking a fool” in front of the crowd. It is obvious that Orwell is experiencing peer pressure from the growing crowd of townspeople. After the elephant ran through town and killed and injured people, Orwell saw it in a field eating grass doing no harm to anyone and at that point, he still didn't want to kill it but the crowd expected Orwell to. The peer pressure caused him to overlook his personal beliefs and all he wanted to do was fit in and impress the townspeople, so he pulled the trigger and shot the elephant. The elephant didn't die with one shot. It took 5 shots and that still didn't kill it, but Orwell had to leave because it was hard to watch it die slowly. The townspeople were glad it died but Orwell's feelings were still mixed about the shooting.
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Post by Andrew on Jul 17, 2023 13:07:23 GMT -5
Orwell shoots the elephant in order to not be seen as a fool in front of the crowd. He feels the pressure from the audience as tension from the destruction of the elephant continues to build. Orwell knows he is already hated by the townspeople and him not shooting the elephant could make things much worse. However, not wanting to shoot the elephant, he tries to look for signs that the elephant has finished its deadly rampage. Coming to an area where the elephant is, he is told that the elephant seems to be at peace yet, if you come too close it will charge. Knowing that the ground is covered with thick mud if he tries to test the elephants attitude he will surely get caught in the mud if the elephant decides to charge. As tensions continue to build he knows what he has to do. Understanding that it goes against what he believes, he shoots the elephant.
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Post by audratate on Jul 19, 2023 16:40:06 GMT -5
In the essay "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell, Orwell shoots the elephant because he felt pressured by the crowd gathered behind him to show his power and authority. To avoid looking weak and indecisive in front of the crowd, Orwell decides to shoot the elephant. As soon as Orwell walked onto the field he saw the elephant and decided that he was not going to shoot it, he believed that the animal was calm and no longer a threat, but with the crowd behind him, watching his every move, he wanted to feel accepted into the society in which he was treated terribly and with no respect, he wanted to gain that respect from the people and to gain that respect he knew he had to shoot the elephant and that is what he did, he shot the elephant. He became very selfish in the moment and decided to do what would benefit himself instead of thinking of the consequences of taking an animal's life that was only trying to protect itself at the time.
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Post by aubrianna on Jul 21, 2023 10:36:11 GMT -5
In the essay Orwell decides to shoot the elephant because of the pressure he's feeling from the crowd. His whole life he struggled to not be laughed at and he knew if he left the animal to live, he would be shamed. The people who had gathered made it clear they wanted the elephant dead. Even if Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant the people would think of him as weak and laugh at him if he spared the life of the elephant. While searching for the elephant he found it, harmlessly eating grass while a crowd of around two thousand gathered around him, he knew that the crowd did not like him. But with the rifle in his hand, he realized that he was “momentarily worth watching”. After shooting the elephant 5 times and watching it not die Orwell leaves, later he overhears that it took a half an hour to die. He thinks to himself if what he had done was “solely to avoid looking like a fool”.
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Post by Ari Johnson on Jul 21, 2023 14:35:38 GMT -5
In "Shooting an Elephant", George Orwell makes the decision to shoot and kill the elephant to avoid looking like a fool and to gain the respect of those around him. There were groups of people talking about how much trouble the elephant was causing and that they needed it gone. Orwell was hated by many, and when he realized that his could be an opportunity to make a name for himself and to finally be treated with respect, he took on the task of shooting the rampaging animal. Deep down, he really didn't want to kill the elephant as it seemed calm to him. However, with the large group of people who came to watch him kill it, he felt pressured to go along with their wishes as he proceeded to shoot it. Even with mixed opinions on whether or not he should've killed the elephant, George was just glad that no one caught on to his act in an effort to avoid looking like a fool.
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Post by jordanpritchett on Jul 24, 2023 14:15:32 GMT -5
Eric Blair shoots the elephant not because he wants to look weak in front of the natives but rather because he wants their validation. When readers look at the story from rose-tinted glasses, anyone would say that he killed the elephant to avoid embarrassing himself. However, when looking back, Blair mentions he believes that when a white man becomes a tyrant “it is his own freedom that he destroys… For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life in trying to impress the ‘natives’” (par. 7). In addition, earlier in the story Blair mentions that he was treated poorly by the native people, so, of course, he would want to do something that would make him not only less of a target but also more appreciated by the people. If he genuinely did not want to kill the elephant, he would’ve stopped the crowd when it was initially forming or would’ve chosen to avoid firing at the rifle at all. Instead, Blair chose the option that was more socially validating for him rather than fair to the elephant and its owner since Blair would prefer to please the people. As a white man, he was aware of the few privileges he held while being a police officer, so Blair did have many opportunities and chances to avoid the murder of the elephant but failed to do so because he wanted to fit in.
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Post by Jayde Hayworth on Jul 26, 2023 20:03:07 GMT -5
Orwell shoots the elephant because he wanted to seem strong and gain the society's validation. He had always wanted the society to accept him, but couldn't figure out how as they never respected him and didn’t care for his very existence. He looked at the elephant rampage as an excuse or as a window of opportunity to look cool infront of his surrounding oppressors. As he kept getting closer to the elephant he noticed that it was calm, which is why he had no intention of shooting it; until villagers started cheering him on thinking he was. He then said to himself, that he’ll walk closer, hoping to provoke the elephant so he had a logical reason to shoot. He shot it because he felt he couldn’t let the people see him so cowardly, as he was tired of being treated badly and always getting laughed at. He knew it was wrong but thought that a little validation would lead to more accepting circumstances.
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Post by meadowmeskil on Jul 26, 2023 20:19:03 GMT -5
In the essay "Shooting an Elephant" written by George Orwell, the elephant is shot by Orwell because there was a crowd around him and he did not want to be seen as a coward or scared. Orwell felt pressured by the crowd to shoot the elephant even though he knew that he shouldn't shoot it and that the elephant was not a threat to society. Orwell felt pressured due to everyone watching him as well as the fact that not many people liked him. When Orwell shot the elephant, it wasn't doing anything besides eating, not causing any harm to anyone. Still, going against his beliefs, he shot the elephant several times at precisely five times since the elephant wouldn't die after one shot. However, the elephant still didn't die after five shots. Orwell's decision shows the impact social pressures can have on citizens in society whether they be small or large events.
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sofia
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by sofia on Jul 30, 2023 19:14:19 GMT -5
Orwell shoots the elephant because of the pressure placed on him by others to do so. When he first comes to the village where the elephant is allegedly destroying everything, he finds the aftermath of its rampage but notices that it is eating peacefully in a field at the moment, a stark contrast to what he was told about it. Orwell believes that it isn’t his place to end the life of this elephant, so he sets out with the notion that he won’t be killing it. The natives in the village, however, want to kill it as soon as possible. He is torn between two sides: what he personally believes is right and the desires of thousands of other people who want the opposite from him. He also wants the villagers to look upon him without thinking he is ignorant or foolish. The pressure from the villagers and self-image he wants to retain ultimately push him towards ending the life of the elephant. The natives rejoice, other officials believe he was justified, but he still is torn as his actions don’t reflect the outcome he wanted.
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Post by cameronshaffer on Jul 31, 2023 14:34:25 GMT -5
In George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant," he faces a moral dilemma when pressured by a crowd to shoot a rampaging elephant. Reluctant at first, Orwell's desire for acceptance and respect from a community that looks down on him leads him to make a selfish decision. Despite knowing the elephant was not a threat, he succumbs to external expectations, shooting the animal to avoid looking weak and gain approval. The essay delves into the complexities of human nature and the profound impact of social pressures on our choices and actions. Orwell's internal conflict reflects the universal struggle between personal values and the desire to fit in, offering a poignant exploration of the human condition.
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