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Post by Ms. English on May 30, 2023 8:27:57 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.
What would you have done if you had been in Orwell's place? Why?
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Post by Arianna McCord on Jul 6, 2023 16:34:12 GMT -5
If I were in Orwell's place I would not have shot the elephant. I get not wanting to get laughed at and made fun of by a crowd and the elephant would've died by someone else if he hadn't done it but not shooting the elephant might do a lot of things. After the shooting there were mixed feelings about the situation so that means that there were some that agreed and some that didn't. So either way you would've had someone that disagreed with Orwell. But then the people who did agree with the choice could help you help everyone else see that there are better choices than the one they were choosing. Another thing would've been him just getting made fun of. I feel as though if he didn't kill the elephant, people would laugh at him and then move on. Back when this was probably not but I do feel that this situation wouldn't be as big of a deal as people, or Orwell, make it out to be.
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Post by Marley Mickel on Jul 9, 2023 3:43:06 GMT -5
If I was in Orwell’s position I would not shoot the elephant. I’m a huge animal lover and I’m really not into hunting or killing an animal. If I was in Orwell’s situation I would like to believe I’d tell the crowd from the start my intentions with having a gun. “Only for protection IF needed” I would say. I wouldn’t really care about what the crowd wants because I know at the end of the day I would hate myself for taking away a life let alone an elephant’s life. Those of you who understand the feeling of losing someone put yourself in the elephant’s family's shoes. They would feel exactly how you did when you lost your loved one except they would have to deal with the fact that their family member went missing. Those elephants don't have people to investigate for them, they’d simply face loss and have that small glimpse of hope that their loved one (the elephant) was still around.
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Post by audrey on Jul 10, 2023 10:41:31 GMT -5
If I was in Orwell’s place I would have not shot the elephant. I wouldn’t have shot the elephant because I would have felt guilty for shooting an innocent animal especially if I saw it peacefully doing its own thing like Orwell saw it before he shot it. I believe it wasn’t the elephant's fault because even though it killed someone in a state of aggression, something or someone must have provoked the elephant in some way for it to have acted the way it did. An animal isn't naturally aggressive towards everything and also in the story it doesn’t explicitly state what caused the elephant to go into a state of aggression. I would feel a little nervous around people who are judging me for not shooting the elephant but I would still feel good inside because self-consciously I knew I did what I thought would be the right thing to do and there would still be some people who would have agreed with the decision I made.
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Post by Emerson Agnello on Jul 10, 2023 14:53:59 GMT -5
I would not have killed the elephant if I were in Orwell's place. I would not have killed it because I believe that the elephant had done nothing wrong, and I also think that animals shouldn't have to be put through pain because of what humans believe is right or wrong. Though I can understand Orwell's thinking about wanting to fit in and wanting to entertain the townspeople, I do not think that the elephant needed to die. The elephant had been in an unfamiliar environment that it was not used to and acted how we can all expect any animal to when they are in strange and foreign conditions. If I was in Orwell's position, I think I would have waited the 12 hours till the elephant's trainer could help tame the elephant and get it back where it belonged. In the end, Orwell even said that there were varied opinions about what he had done. So, I would not have shot the elephant because no matter what I did, someone would end up upset.
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Post by audratate on Jul 19, 2023 19:10:32 GMT -5
If I was in Orwells place, I would not have shot the elephant. He was disrespected and made fun of, he just wanted to belong in the society, but that does not give him the right to shoot a elephant just to be accepted by a society that does not respect him and probably never will. He was peer pressured into doing something he did not want to, just to look brave and heroic to the townspeople, but I believe he feels terrible about shooting the elephant, and if he could have a redo he would rather still be disrespected and laughed at by the townspeople, then to feel guilty for taking a elephants life. I could never take a elephants life, even if it did hurt someone, it would probably just be the persons fault and the animal was probably just protecting itself.
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Post by Andrew on Jul 24, 2023 11:52:05 GMT -5
If I was in Orwell's position, I would not have shot the elephant. Although the elephant had caused much destruction during its rampage that doesn't make it right to shoot the elephant. When Orwell arrived where the elephant was at the end, he could see that the elephant was at peace. He could have very well left it alone until the owner arrived. However, Orwell let the peer pressure get to him, and in the end he shot the elephant. Orwell made a quick decision which had a very extreme outcome. If I was in his place I would have continued to watch the elephant until the owner arrived, but I wouldn't have shot the elephant just because of peer pressure. Also I don't think that I would have shot the elephant because it would've felt like animal cruelty. In the end what he did wasn't right and you could tell that he felt bad about the decision he had made even though others were congratulating him.
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Post by Ari Johnson on Jul 26, 2023 10:28:54 GMT -5
If I was in the same position as Orwell, I wouldn't have taken the shot and killed the elephant. Orwell's decision was based solely on peer pressure and his attempt to not look like a fool in front of the people watching him. However, I wouldn't worry about the opinion of the others, especially when it comes to killing an animal. Instead, after I'd seen that the animal was starting to calm down after it's rampage, I would've waited for it's owner to come get it or for someone else to take it away without harming the animal. Orwell seen for himself that the elephant looked calm and peaceful and still decided to take the shot because of the group of people cheering him on to do so. I wouldn't let the peer pressure cloud my judgement as I'd continue to do the right thing and let the Elephant live.
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Post by Eloise on Jul 26, 2023 18:25:21 GMT -5
I believe that if I were in Orwell's place, I would have done the same thing. Not without guilt or conscience of what I was doing, but with his situation it was a very complicated decision and one he had to make in a short amount of time. As I am not the best with stress, I don’t think I would have been able to come up with a reason not to kill the animal as well as not make anyone mad. The creature had already wreaked havoc, killed a man, and its owner was still very far away. All of the people around Orwell were supporting the killing of the animal and who knows what would have happened if he had decided not to shoot it, as many of them already hated him due to his position. The animal was only acting on impulse, but Orwell was in a tough spot and did not have much choice. No matter what decision was made, it would have been controversial, but in the heat of the moment, humans are not perfect and may not make the "best" decisions.
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Post by Jayde Hayworth on Jul 26, 2023 20:04:15 GMT -5
If I were in the same position as Orwell, I wouldn't have shot and killed the elephant. The only reason he had done what he did was to somewhat be accepted by a group of people who didn't respect, care, or see him as a member of their society. Although the elephant went on a rampage and caused destruction, it was still a valuable asset, and could've been used to pay it back one way or another. When he reached the elephant it seemed to have calmed down so he merely did it because he let the peer pressure get to him and made himself feel obligated, as I would've waited for his owner knowing that the elephant was okay now. He knew that the elephant wouldn't cause any more harm, and that it was peaceful again, but shot it because he cared more about what others thought than what he thought; because of that decision he feels tremendous guilt as he knows he was wrong and took a life for a pointless reason.
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Post by morganhall on Jul 27, 2023 8:49:07 GMT -5
I feel as though every action one takes or doesn't take, they'll receive some form of judgment or "punishment" from the people surrounding them. Whether it's being laughed at or life and death, one decision impacts an entire life. If I was in Orwell's position I would not have shot the elephant, because like it said in the text, there ended up being lots of controversy over if it was the right thing to do or not. I can sympathize with why he did shoot the elephant, but considering his initial thought was not to, I would've stuck with it. Like Eloise said, he had a big decision within a short period of time, and his actions were under the influence of a lot of pressure; he just wanted to fit in. Orwell was tired of being laughed at, and he wanted to control the story for once, so he took the shot. I wouldn’t have taken the shot not just because of the guilt I would carry for a beautiful animal, but the other ways I could have dealt with the judgment, like just ignoring it.
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Post by georgia on Jul 28, 2023 18:21:30 GMT -5
If I were in Orwell’s position, I would hope that I would have enough courage to not succumb to the peer pressure and shoot the elephant, but it is also hard to predict what I would do under the duress he was facing because I don’t always handle high pressure situations well. I wouldn’t want to shoot the elephant not only to avoid having a guilty conscience for killing a beautiful animal, but also because their was no proof that the elephant was a threat to anyone, other than the dead man who was probably agitating the elephant and who the elephant most likely killed out of fear rather than aggression. I can sympathize with Orwell feeling pressured by the large group of people who were encouraging him, but if I were in his place I would have tried to prevent such a large group of people from following me in the first place and not let them believe I was going to kill the elephant. Also, if I had the same beliefs about imperialism that Orwell had I wouldn’t have shot the elephant to demonstrate power over the natives, because that would be supporting the exact thing I oppose. Either choice would result in negative consequences, but for me living with the regret of having killed something would be worse than being outcast by society, so I would not shoot it.
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Post by cameronshaffer on Jul 31, 2023 20:53:26 GMT -5
If I were in Orwell's position I would choose not to shoot the elephant. I would question the necessity of killing the elephant as there was no clear evidence of imminent danger. I'd empathize with the animal, understanding that its aggression might have been provoked or fear-induced. Instead of seeking power through violence, I'd aim to de-escalate the situation and prevent a large crowd from gathering. Although facing criticism from those who encouraged me to shoot, I'd prioritize staying true to my beliefs and values. While both choices might have negative consequences, living with the regret of killing an innocent creature would be more profound for me than societal disapproval. Ultimately, I'd strive to make a decision in line with my principles, preserving the dignity of life, even amid challenging circumstances and external pressures.
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Post by jirehm on Aug 5, 2023 15:15:38 GMT -5
If I was in Orwell’s place I would have not shot the elephant. Peer pressure can be really hard to overcome especially when there is a crowd of almost 2,000 people behind you but going against your beliefs can be even harder. In the story, he says “As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery and obviously one ought not to do it if it can possibly be avoided.” He didn’t start to change his mind until there was a crowd and he thought about what other people might think of him. When he went against his beliefs he felt uneasy and guilty. The feeling of guilt would've alone overpowered any sense of peer pressure at least for me. I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of shooting an elephant. Instead of shooting it, I would have just watched it from a distance and made sure it was peaceful until the owner came back like Orwell’s original plan.
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Post by margaretscavarda on Aug 7, 2023 12:15:33 GMT -5
If I were in Orwell's place, I would not have shot the elephant. I do understand why Orwell shot the elephant, however. He was put under pressure and had to make a quick decision. At this moment, he decided to kill the animal. If I were in the same scenario, I would've been very stressed and pressured to kill the elephant, but I wouldn't be able to bring myself to. Even if I wanted to kill the creature, I wouldn't have the ability to pull the trigger. Living with the guilt of its death would be far worse than some people laughing and shaming me. I usually can't kill a bug in a room because of how much it disgusts me. There's no way I could handle an animal who weighs 100x more than me. Instead of shooting the elephant, I probably would've just stood there waiting for its owner to return and be sure it remained peaceful. Hopefully, after some time, the crowd would begin to fade.
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