This paper deals with Orwell’s text ‘Shooting an Elephant’. I use the term text deliberately since my topic says “George Orwell: ‘Shooting an Elephant’ - Short Story or Essay on the Essence of Colonialism”. The question of genre has been debated for decades and there have been several quarrels about allocating it to a certain genre. Most experts, however, call the text an essay but there are also those who insist on the text belonging to the group of the short stories.
In my paper I will work out features of both genres and at the end of my study I will sum up the findings and draw a conclusion.
First, I will give a short definition of the terms ‘Short Story’ and ‘Essay’. This is to show the characteristics of the two genres that I will pick up again in the course of this paper. After a brief summary I will start the analysis of the text working out topics like parallels to Orwell’s life, the meaning of the elephant or the construction of the text. In the final part I will sum up my results and draw a conclusion.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Definitions
- Definition 'Essay'
- Definition "Short Story"
- Plot Summary
- Analysis
- Arguments for the Essay
- Parallels to Orwell's Biography
- Parallels between Orwell and the Narrator...
- The narrator's conflict...
- The Symbol of the Elephant.
- Roll-Call
- Arguments for the Short Story..
- Construction.....
- Title, Beginning and Ending…...
- Construction.....
- Arguments for the Essay
- Conclusion
- Sources
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes George Orwell's text "Shooting an Elephant", aiming to determine whether it is best classified as a short story or an essay on the essence of colonialism. The paper explores the defining characteristics of both genres and analyzes the text based on these criteria, culminating in a conclusion about the text's genre. Key themes include:- The nature of colonialism and its impact on both colonizers and colonized populations
- The relationship between the individual and power structures
- The struggle of personal conscience in a system of oppression
- The role of symbolism in literature
- The blurred boundaries between fiction and non-fiction
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The Introduction provides an overview of the paper's focus on the genre of "Shooting an Elephant", acknowledging the ongoing debate about its classification. The paper aims to explore features of both essays and short stories, drawing a conclusion based on the analysis. The Definitions section defines the terms "Essay" and "Short Story", highlighting their key characteristics. The definition of the essay emphasizes its non-fictional nature, subjectivity, and the author's reflection on personal experiences. The short story, in contrast, is fictional, focused on unity of time, setting, and plot, often featuring an abrupt beginning and ending. The Plot Summary presents a concise narrative of "Shooting an Elephant", set during the British Imperial leadership in India. It highlights the central conflict between the narrator's personal sympathy for the oppressed natives and his duty to uphold imperial power, culminating in the forced shooting of the elephant. The Analysis section begins by exploring arguments supporting the essay classification. It highlights the striking parallels between the story and Orwell's personal life, including his service as a police officer in Burma and his experiences with colonial oppression. The section also examines the narrator's conflict, his sympathy for the oppressed natives, and the symbolism of the elephant.Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key terms and concepts explored in this text include: colonialism, British Empire, Burma, imperialism, oppression, essay, short story, genre, symbolism, fiction, non-fiction, Orwell, "Shooting an Elephant", personal experience, power structures, conflict, conscience, narrative, narrative perspective, style, language, structure, analysis, interpretation.- Quote paper
- Swantje We (Author), 2010, "Shooting an Elephant" of George Orwell - Short Story or Essay on the Essence of Colonialism?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/170862
