Nonfiction

Shooting an Elephant

Shooting an Elephant

  • Downloads：2838
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-03-13 08:51:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：George Orwell
  • ISBN：0241630096
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible， mini editions of short stories， novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers， designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith

Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics， they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna， from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island， and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon。 Beautifully designed and printed， these collectible editions are bound in colourful， tactile cloth and stamped with foil。

Today， George Orwell is perhaps most famous for his iconic novels - Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm - but in his own time it was his remarkable nonfiction writing which drew most attention。 Kind-hearted， intelligent， often funny， occasionally indignant， always insightful: his essays are some of the best ever written。 Among others， this selection includes 'Shooting an Elephant'， 'Such， Such Were the Joys' and 'Some Thoughts on the Common Toad'。

Download

Reviews

Nouha ，

The core message of the story is decent but the imperialist apologia and low-key white supremacist vibes is unrelenting。

Sarah ，

Fantastic short story where Orwell reminisces about his time as an officer in Burma。 He uses the experience of putting down a “mad” elephant as a backboard to ponder how harmful imperialism is to the oppressor as much as it is to the oppressed。 Definitely recommend this fifteen minute read for any high school student。

Helen ，

4。25 ⭐️The book is a collection of personal and observational essays from George Orwell， and surprisingly， it amazed me a lot。

Jakub Brudny ，

Fajne

Hannah Moring ，

I really enjoyed the namesake story of this book and many of the essays from the "I write as I please" section of the book。 However， I did skip a few of the chapters which were essays pertaining to works of literature that I have not read。 I really enjoyed the namesake story of this book and many of the essays from the "I write as I please" section of the book。 However， I did skip a few of the chapters which were essays pertaining to works of literature that I have not read。 。。。more

Maisha Faizin ，

Deep， dark， mocking and heart-breaking。

Wallis Moulton ，

Orwell is an incredible resource when analyzing colonial literature， post Imperialism。

Maci Bogdonovich ，

Speaks about the power that we can allow other people to have on us and the importance to fight for our beliefs otherwise we'll live in regret。 Speaks about the power that we can allow other people to have on us and the importance to fight for our beliefs otherwise we'll live in regret。 。。。more

Oscar ，

Among my favorite Orwell essays

Pulkit Singh ，

Still hanging onto the coattails of 2022， I am reluctant to say goodbye。 After Covid， January feels too early to celebrate。 March， people， March- that seems safe to decide the flavour of 2023。 George Orwell’s collection of Essays was an experience similar to reading Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley （If you haven’t read it， I recommend it）- the writing is taut， no frivolity of either words or ideas。The breadth of the collection isn’t limited to literature- it is decidedly political。 His views abo Still hanging onto the coattails of 2022， I am reluctant to say goodbye。 After Covid， January feels too early to celebrate。 March， people， March- that seems safe to decide the flavour of 2023。 George Orwell’s collection of Essays was an experience similar to reading Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley （If you haven’t read it， I recommend it）- the writing is taut， no frivolity of either words or ideas。The breadth of the collection isn’t limited to literature- it is decidedly political。 His views about the Spanish Civil War， the politics of the English language take care of that。 For someone who gravitates more towards the personal experience of living， Orwell’s memories of public school horrors （Such， Such Were The Joys）， his account of ‘Shooting An Elephant’ as a police officer in Burma， and a not-so-brief discussion on Charles Dickens are uncompromising and entertaining。I favoured ‘Books Vs。 Cigarettes’ & ‘Why I Write’ the most- two delightful compositions。 The first is his proof through which he justifiably demonstrates that owning books isn’t an expensive hobby- the price of books is far less than the value one gets from them。‘Why I Write’- well， why does anyone write？ It’s a quirk of nature- like being right-handed or having a painful wart。 But returning to Orwell: he takes us on his writing journey in a few words-“I wanted to write enormous naturalistic novels with unhappy endings， full of detailed descriptions and arresting similes， and also full of purple passages in which words were used partly for the sake of their sound。”Listen， just read that essay- it's insightful and honest， and if I were to talk about it more， I’d end up letting all the cats out。 。。。more

Петър Стойков ，

"Застрелване на слон" не е книга， а по-скоро есе относно тежестта и инерцията на това да носиш отговорност и да отговаряш на очакванията към теб。 За това как позицията на отговорност и очакванията към нея могат да те накарат да правиш неща， които всъщност не само ти не искаш да правиш， ами и тия които те карат да ги правиш не ги искат。 "Застрелване на слон" не е книга， а по-скоро есе относно тежестта и инерцията на това да носиш отговорност и да отговаряш на очакванията към теб。 За това как позицията на отговорност и очакванията към нея могат да те накарат да правиш неща， които всъщност не само ти не искаш да правиш， ами и тия които те карат да ги правиш не ги искат。 。。。more

Sujit Bidve ，

For George Orwell， the sub divisional police officer in lower Burma  （now myanmar）， the protagonist of this short story was best time and worst time in colonial Burma。 usually the native Burmans hated Europeans。 At most they spitted beetlejuice over European womens in Bazar。 that was the worst reaction for colonialism。      George， sub-divisional police officer couldn't do much but secretly thought that he could never serve for lifetime。 on one day at morning， he receive call from another police For George Orwell， the sub divisional police officer in lower Burma  （now myanmar）， the protagonist of this short story was best time and worst time in colonial Burma。 usually the native Burmans hated Europeans。 At most they spitted beetlejuice over European womens in Bazar。 that was the worst reaction for colonialism。      George， sub-divisional police officer couldn't do much but secretly thought that he could never serve for lifetime。 on one day at morning， he receive call from another police Sub-Inspector about the mad elephant which was destroying the huts of native people and even killed one person。      As a reaction， George took a German Rifle with him， firstly to shoot the elephant but his mind had always  told that he ought not to do。he reached at the spot where the elephant destroyed the Bazar and quarters。 He asked about the events but some said they never seen an elephant some said they seen on other side。       One group of crowd containing hundred people said they were seen the elephant on the backyard paddy field。 George and group reached the site where  the elephant was eating green grass and appeared silent。 at that time George thought he should not shoot the elephant but the yellow faced crowd eagerly waiting to fall down the elephant。    George shoot the first bullet on Elephant， the crowd cheered and behaviour of elephant was not violent but silent。He appeared like Thousand Years Old。 elephant looked more senile。   George emptied  the five Bullet German rifle and Elephant fell down like a rock from mountain。 then crowd gathered basket and stripped the elephant to his bone。 the crowds purpose got fulfilled。 at the George's  office，  there was an endless discussion going on about shooting an elephant。old officers praise  George for killing a mad animal。 while young officers blamed  George for his act but for George's mind it was not to look like a fool in front of colonized that every officer must not afford。 。。。more

Abdilrhman ，

حزينه جدا

Suresh S ，

Brilliant portrayal of the life of an English man during the Burma days。 His account of killing an elephant to save the self pride and and naive nature of people in under developed nations was so natural。 Not to miss。。

Tara ，

mon premier orwell ！！ seulement un 4 parce que j'avais la version zine super courte mais j'essaierai de lire l'intégrale un jour。。。？ mon premier orwell ！！ seulement un 4 parce que j'avais la version zine super courte mais j'essaierai de lire l'intégrale un jour。。。？ 。。。more

Søren Grauslund ，

I would give 'Shooting an Elephant' 5 stars。 The rest is really not worth reading。 I would give 'Shooting an Elephant' 5 stars。 The rest is really not worth reading。 。。。more

Michael Whitehead ，

This book is a series of essays by George Orwell。 I was drawn to the book by the reference to the essay that gave the book a title。 I learned more about the author that I had from reading any of his other books: Homage to Catalonia or 1984。 “Shooting an Elephant” is a masterpiece。

aoife★ ，

:（

Greg ，

Nice shot， Eric Blair。

ellie ⋆。ೃ࿔*:･ ，

I read this mainly for school。 Though I was thoroughly amazed by Orwell’s writing。 It really highlighted the oppression and colonialism in the East - with use of metaphors and symbolism。 Such an interesting read。

Nusrat Zeem ，

outstanding

Emma Lovato ，

Great to take a deeper dive into some of Orwell’s nonfiction work。 My first intro was in high school with his essay of the same title。 Such a recognizable and candid voice， though I can’t say I enjoyed much of the content。

Steven Atkinson ，

A good story set in the feeling and emotions of an English policeman in Burma trying not to look silly 👍

Claire Fairtlough ，

It was okay。 Good message against colonialism and I liked that it was through the point of view of the oppressor because I feel like so much of colonial critique is trauma porn of the colonized。 But this didn’t really grab me and I think that the critique is sort of weak and overdone， although I can acknowledge that this was fresh and new for white men to be talking about at the time。

Mikey B。 ，

This book consists of three short stories by George Orwell – “Shooting an Elephant”， “A Hanging”， and “The Spike”。The first two are situated in Burma， and “The Spike” is in England （spike is a British term， I assume， for a homeless shelter， perhaps it is a slang？）。 All the stories are in the first-person point of view。They are excellent and strong in atmosphere。 They convey oppression。 The Burmese ones are anti-imperialistic and impart the futility of empire。 We sense the alienation felt by thos This book consists of three short stories by George Orwell – “Shooting an Elephant”， “A Hanging”， and “The Spike”。The first two are situated in Burma， and “The Spike” is in England （spike is a British term， I assume， for a homeless shelter， perhaps it is a slang？）。 All the stories are in the first-person point of view。They are excellent and strong in atmosphere。 They convey oppression。 The Burmese ones are anti-imperialistic and impart the futility of empire。 We sense the alienation felt by those who are there to enforce the rules （in this case Orwell）。 They just don’t belong。In the last story we feel the desolation of the tramps in the homeless shelter。 The three stories are short， but captivating and intense。 They draw you into their world。 。。。more

Carole-Anne Stewart ，

Well at least my bookclub can't hate me for picking this book this month。 I forgot it was just a short essay 😂🤣😃😂Idiot succumbing to not peer pressure， but native pressure。 And he didn't even know how to kill it humanly。 Well at least my bookclub can't hate me for picking this book this month。 I forgot it was just a short essay 😂🤣😃😂Idiot succumbing to not peer pressure， but native pressure。 And he didn't even know how to kill it humanly。 。。。more

Julie ，

First time reading a story with animal cruelty。。 Definitley wasn't an easy thing to read。4。5 Stars （Not a favorite。 Didn't enjoy it。 The writing was just really really good。） First time reading a story with animal cruelty。。 Definitley wasn't an easy thing to read。4。5 Stars （Not a favorite。 Didn't enjoy it。 The writing was just really really good。） 。。。more

Angie ，

Kruger it girl

Taliesin Lake ，

This book was my introduction to Orwell。 From just a couple of short stories I was already able to discern why his writing is so highly regarded。 Short， sweet， engaging and thought-provoking。

Raysa ，

even tho i read the short essay， it still counts like I read the whole book :） right。。。？

tpg0 ，

As an AI language model， I do not have a personal opinion， but I can provide some information about the book 'Shooting an Elephant。' "Shooting an Elephant" is an essay written by George Orwell that describes his experience as a British police officer in Burma。 The essay was first published in 1936 in New Writing， a literary journal。 It is one of Orwell's most famous and widely read essays。 The essay discusses the dilemma that Orwell faced when he was asked to shoot an elephant that had gone on a rampage， killing a local Burmese man。 Orwell expresses his ambivalence about the British Empire's presence in Burma and his disgust at the cruelty of imperialism。 The essay also explores the idea of power and the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized。 Overall， "Shooting an Elephant" is a powerful critique of imperialism and a commentary on the moral complexities of power。 It continues to be relevant today as a reflection on the effects of colonization and the abuse of power。

tpg1 ，

As an AI language model， I do not have personal views or emotions about literature。 However， "Shooting an Elephant" is a well-known essay written by George Orwell in 1936。 The essay describes Orwell's experience as a British police officer in Burma， where he was faced with the dilemma of shooting an elephant that had gone rogue and killed a villager。 The essay explores themes such as the influence of power dynamics， colonialism， and identity。 It is considered a classic piece of literature and continues to be studied and analyzed today。

tpg2 ，

"Shooting an Elephant" is an autobiographical essay written by George Orwell in 1936。 It recounts his experience as a young British police officer in Burma （now Myanmar） who is forced to shoot an elephant that has gone rogue and is causing destruction in a local village。 Orwell describes the moral dilemma he faced: on one hand， he did not believe in killing the animal because it had already calmed down and was no longer a threat， but on the other hand， he felt pressured to shoot it to maintain his status and authority as a colonial officer among the Burmese。 The essay explores issues of imperialism， power dynamics， and the conflicts that arise when individuals are forced to act against their own principles due to societal pressures。 It serves as a powerful commentary on the injustices of colonialism and the harm it inflicts on both colonized and colonizers。 Overall， "Shooting an Elephant" is a thought-provoking and intense read that sheds light on the complexities of the human experience and morality in difficult situations。

Tag

    shooting an elephant shooting an elephant summary shooting an elephant pdf shooting an elephant analysis shooting an elephant theme shooting an elephant review shooting an elephant 2016 shooting an elephant symbol shooting an elephant litchart shooting an elephant and other essays

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shooting an Elephant

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shooting an Elephant&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Shooting an Elephant&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0