{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33684546","dateCreated":"1296850827","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"MaFe1595","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/MaFe1595","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33684546"},"dateDigested":1531973857,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Shooting an elephant","description":"Shooting an Elephant was a good short story. It was well written, it used good vocab, and the sentences were good. I liked how it gave us readers and explanation of details so we that we may understand the situation better. I feel what the British soldier is feeling, most of the time, especially at the end of the story, and in other parts his feelings were a bit vague. There wasn\u2019t much suspense since there were several details, but the text had plenty of flow. One thing gradually led to the next. Towards the end of the story, things get tenser, and we see the character struggling between his morals and his own personal image. He\u2019s very self-conscious about how he will look if he doesn\u2019t shoot the animal. And I could even feel the elephant\u2019s pain through the description. I thought that the description was just about right. It wasn\u2019t too vague, but it wasn\u2019t very descriptive either. It is enough so that we my get a picture, but it\u2019s not completely sensory. I think that the conflict was very evident, and since the beginning of the story, we see how the main character has problems with his job, fitting in another country, and his self-consciousness of always looking implacable, strong, the way a soldier should. We also get the picture of the conflicts that the British are facing in countries such as India, and how they are not welcomed with open arms. In a few words, the author gave us a piece of history, a characterization, culture, and conflict. I thought it was very impressive the way that giving just a slight opinion from the soldier or just the way the author describes things, he says a lot in few words. I still think a bit more of description and less opinion, and maybe the author could\u2019ve used a different language, maybe more sensory, instead of stating everything so straight out. The suspense would\u2019ve been better if different adjectives would\u2019ve been used, different sentence lengths, and maybe used those things so that we could infer what was going on, and make the story more interesting and more suspenseful.
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\n More than one type of conflict was presented. First, we see the man versus self. The main character is very self-conscious about himself and his image. This leads to the conflict of man versus society. The people of the village expect him to shoot the elephant so that the elephant will stop \u201cdestroying\u201d the village and killing people. We also see the man versus nature conflict. The police man has to kill the elephant, that hasn\u2019t really done something bad enough to get shot, at least not at the end.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33686474","body":"Thanks Ma Fe,
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\nHope that you feel better.
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\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296853286","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33680614","dateCreated":"1296847189","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"tammy_sev","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/tammy_sev","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1285868666\/tammy_sev-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33680614"},"dateDigested":1531973857,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Shoting an elephant","description":"In this text the 3 types of conflicts appear. Man vs. himself, Man vs. nature, and Man vs. society. Where he lived Indians hated the British , they thought that the British didn\u2019t respect them or their culture, so they didn\u2019t get along with him, especially because he was a British officer. We see Man vs. himself appear when George, as an official has to do some tasks that he is not sure about doing, he questions himself if what he is doing is correct but at the end he stills ends up doing it because it\u2019s his job we can see this when he says \u201cAs for the job I was doing, I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear. In a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters\u201d. Man vs. nature appears when he is faced to fill the elephant, an animals belonging to nature. He is not certain whether to kill him or not. He had to make a decision, the elephant or his glory. He new if he killed the elephant the people would finally respect him, not just another mean British men he would give them something to gain his respect. We can see his decision of this conflict when he says \u201cBut I did not want to shoot the elephant. I watched him beating his bunch of grass against his knees, with that preoccupied grandmotherly air that elephants have\u201d , the man sees the elephant, and in a way he feels some compassion towards him, he is an animal with feelings, and no longer a violent one, he had no reason to kill him except the looks of the people that in a way were forcing him. Man vs. society could be one of the strongest conflicts in the story, we see it when the man is nearly forced to kill the elephant, not physically but by the looks of the people who expect it from him, to get the elephant\u2019s meat and tusks. We can see his fear when he says \u201c. The sole thought in my mind was that if anything went wrong those two thousand Burmans would see me pursued, caught, trampled on and reduced to a grinning corpse like that Indian up the hill. And if that happened it was quite probable that some of them would laugh. That would never do.\u201d In the story he continuously forms suspense, by first seeing the dead man in the floor when he gets to the place, and then by the pressure of keeling the elephant or not and his decision. He makes us feel sorry for him, kind of like telling us \u201c I didn\u2019t want to kill the elephant but something made me do it\u201d.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33681952","body":"Thanks Tamara,
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\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296848309","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33678094","dateCreated":"1296845229","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"danielx_184","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/danielx_184","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33678094"},"dateDigested":1531973857,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Shooting an Elephant","description":"George Orwell\u2019s Shooting an Elephant presents the reader with a British man deployed as policeman in Burma. He tells the reader that he is certainly disliked by the native population. One day an elephant escapes and starts destroying homes. Mr. Orwell is called to check on the situation and arrives with a small caliber rifle in case he needs to defend himself. However upon arrival he discovers he might have to kill the elephant and his small rifle will not allow him to carry out such task. He is presented with the psychological conflict over shooting or not shooting the elephant. He examines the situation and claims he does not want to shoot the elephant but that\u2019s what the natives expect. Eventually he succumbs to external pressures and does shoot the elephant. The reader might experience a feeling of empathy towards Orwell, yet I disagree. It is my personal belief that one ought to do what one feels, and believes even if it is not the most accepted idea. He does run some potential risks if he decides not to shoot the elephant. The animal might go back to a raging state and become violent, or it could even kill the author, yet that is not what makes him decide to fire on the animal. By not shooting the elephant he might gain a little more dislike from the natives, but what is a little more dislike going to do if you are already looked upon on the streets, talked about and mistreated? Yet this story does contribute to the idea of a suspenseful writing. For instance it is seen how more and more natives start to come and thus increase the pressure on the author and making the reader feel how he gets more and more nervous. Also after he shoots the elephant Orwell points out that he shoots the elephant once and it does not die, it rises back up. The second time he shoots, the elephant remains alive, third time, same thing. Every shot he takes makes the reader think \u201cwow that\u2019s some tough luck\u201d in defense of Orwell and every shot he takes also increases the reader\u2019s eagerness to see the elephant die. Whether or not the reader agrees with the shooting of the elephant they will want to see it die and not agonize. The agonizing elephant adds to the mystery and the suspense. The story is indeed a rising conflict, he is first asked to carry out a simple task that starts to grow more and more difficult on him when he sees every native pile up behind him. He starts to worry much more every time he shoots the elephant. He is arguing with himself trying to see if he has done the right thing. Even after the elephant dies he is still lamenting himself \u201cI heard later that it took him half an hour to die.\u201d Even at the end he recalls that he executed the act on insecurity and keeps on questioning himself on the event \u201cI often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.\u201d Even if one does not agree with the character, the story certainly does have building up suspense and a good amount of personal, man to man, conflict.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33681914","body":"Well-put Daniel,
\n
\nThanks,
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\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296848274","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33652024","dateCreated":"1296802611","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"julibarca10","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/julibarca10","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1269448814\/julibarca10-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33652024"},"dateDigested":1531973857,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"To Kill An Elephant","description":"Orwell encounters various conflicts in his narrative. They come in various sizes and he has to face one of life\u2019s greatest dilemmas, peer pressure. That vile thing that can drive almost anyone to do things we never imagined of doing, here is where the greater risk is at, especially when \u201cI was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind.\u201d Orwell\u2019s greatest conflict is that Burmese people don\u2019t like them nor respect him, he wants the respect from the people, he doesn\u2019t want to fail them so that they will respect him and not mock him. He is afraid that if he doesn\u2019t shoot the elephant even thought it probably goes against his moral; the people will taunt him with that fact forever. So with at least 2000 people behind him he did what was best for his reputation and he shot the elephant. Here he cleared all risks, the risk of being physically injured by the elephant, the risk of loosing authority over the people. Then there is also another very important conflict going on, Burmese people hate Europeans, and Orwell also hates the \u201cEmpire.\u201d \u201cFor at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing\u2026 I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make clear. In a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters.\u201d This conflict is essential to the story because it is what allows us to empathize with Orwell. George cleverly shares his feelings in this part so that we will feel some kind of sympathy. \u201cPoor thing he is working for the enemies, and all he wants is to do good.\u201d This is the first part to the story were we are set up to begin liking Orwell. Right before this we had seen how he had to go through various types of humiliation \u201cAs a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so\u2026 the crowd yelled with hideous laughter.\u201d After telling us this story he immediately appears to react with a lot of interest, when they tell him the elephant has been going through the village, this makes him look more as a hero since, not only does he suffer from humiliation but he still does his duty. As he reaches the village, he responds quickly to the danger and gets a riffle to shoot the elephant down since it had killed someone (whom we can infer is from a low class). As he prepares to shoot the elephant, he tells us how he would never shoot one, but because of the pressure we should understand his reasons. In the end when the elephant is down, he tries to kill it efficiently but he fails so that we feel more compassion because things aren\u2019t going out as planned, he wanted to make things less painful for the elephant, so naturally he is frightened and agitated, he even leaves because he can\u2019t bare to see the elephant anymore \u201cIn the end I could not stand it any longer and went away.\u201d The fact he left in the end proves us that guilt was taking him down, and that should make the reader stretch out and feel compassion towards George, since he was just trying to protect his people or was he?","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33681816","body":"Thanks Julian,
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\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296848213","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33648118","dateCreated":"1296791235","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"Ingrid89","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Ingrid89","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1228179242\/Ingrid89-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33648118"},"dateDigested":1531973858,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"shooting an elephant","description":"I just re-posted all the entries to this new one. I felt I had to put it under the right discussion box ;) The corrections are at the bottom!
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\nIngrid89 Yesterday 6:56 pm
\nThis man basically encounters problems with himself and society throughout this short story. First, he is ignored completely, or is both insulted and mistreated, but as the story continues, he has the power to change the way people treat him. This police has to handle the pressure placed by the entire town (Burmans), while deciding if he should do the right thing and not kill an innocent animal, or to kill him in order to become \u2018popular\u2019 and liked. In theory, because of the style the writer describes his situation and the character himself, we should feel empathy. This man has been completely ignored his entire life and, being hated by a lot of people, he described it as \u201cthe only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me\u201d. This guy is simply a loser that almost no one knows he exists. He is placed, involuntarily against his will, in this specific situation; but given the fact that he chooses popularity and the approval of the people over respecting nature and animals, and doing the right thing, I feel no empathy towards him. This man, seeing so many people in the crowd following him, and admiring his acts, was blinded by the hunger for attention. He expressed that \u201c[the people] did not like [him], but with the magical riffle in [his] hands [he] was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly he realized that [he] should have to shoot the elephant\u2026\u201d.
\nIf he were not to shoot the elephant, he would receive an even worse reaction from the crowd. \u201cThe people expected it of [him] and [he] had got to do it.\u201d If he hadn\u2019t shot the elephant, it was for certain his destiny would be filled with misery caused by all the people. Hating him for nothing was already bad, but giving the people a real reason for hating him would be even worse.
\nThis story, I feel is a combination of man vs. nature as well as man vs. self. This man is fighting against an innocent animal that is supposed to be in the wilderness and not kept in a cage. Because he is taken out of his habitat and tamed, the elephant reacts differently than other animals. Man vs. himself is clearly present, as well, because killing the innocent elephant is mainly an internal struggle of this character. He has to deal with either sticking up for his beliefs and not killing the animal; or doing what society prefers, which goes against what he believes in. All of his decisions revolve around his view with how he wishes to be looked upon by society.
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\npermalink
\ndavidgarethw re: shooting an elephant
\ndavidgarethw Today 11:50 am
\nIngrid,
\n
\nI find this sentence sloppy... could you clean it up? 'This man has been completely ignored his entire life and, being hated by a lot of people, he described it as \u201cthe only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me\u201d.'
\nAlso, what do you mean by loser? Do you think this is the best way to push your argument?
\nAlso, you say that 'but given the fact that he chooses popularity and the approval of the people over respecting nature and animals, and doing the right thing, I feel no empathy towards him.' Alright, but how can you assume that he holds the same values as you do? Should he?
\n
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster
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\n
\npermalink
\nIngrid89 re: shooting an elephant
\nIngrid89 just now
\n1) Because this man has been ignored in the past, he describes this new feeling people have towards him: hate, to be \u201cthe only time in my life that [he has] been important enough for this to happen to [him].\u201d \u2018This\u2019, meaning, being hated.
\n2) I believe \u2018loser\u2019 is a term that fits perfectly this character. This guy is inferior to the rest of the people that surround him and is pushed around. He even feels it is a great accomplishment for people to hate him, because at least they feel something towards him. Feeling that being hated is an improvement, I strongly believe, makes him a loser.
\n3) We can assume he shares similar valued to mine because of the way the elephant is described by his \u2018eyes\u2019 as being calm and peacefully eating the grass. It is not completely certain that for this man, the right thing is not to kill the elephant, since he wished to respect nature. What is certain though, is that this man has no intention of killing the animal for the reasons that follow:
\n\u201cAs 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 \u2013 it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery \u2013 and obviously one ought not to do it if it can possibly be avoided. And at that distance, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow. I thought then and I think now that his attack of "must" was already passing off; in which case he would merely wander harmlessly about until the mahout came back and caught him. Moreover, I did not in the least want to shoot him.\u201d
\nWhether the excuses are valid or not is not clear, but what is clear is that this man believes that killing this elephant is wrong, which is also what I believe. And because he thinks and supports why it is so wrong to do such, and still goes ahead and kills him because he had to please the crowd, that is mainly why I feel no empathy what so ever towards him.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33681780","body":"Well-argued Ingrid,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296848181","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33641830","dateCreated":"1296783968","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"caro3arias","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/caro3arias","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33641830"},"dateDigested":1531973858,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"\"To sit alone with my conscience will be judgment enough for me.\"","description":"Orwell faces 2 main conflicts in this anecdote: man vs. society and man vs. self. The man vs. society is everyday: The Burmese hate the English occupation and therefore take it out on him because they think he represents Britain. The monks jeer at him, the people trip him. This fertilizes the seed of hatred inside Orwell, and he fantasizes about killing some of the \u201cyellow faces\u201d. What the Burmese don\u2019t realize is that another man vs. society conflict is present and that is the one between Orwell and Britain itself. Orwell gets a close up look at the tortured victims of the Empire. He hates working for them and contributing to the pain and suffering his country causes. It seems as if this could lead to a man vs. self conflict: the desire to harm the Burmese while simultaneously wanting to hurt their oppressors, the British. It looks as if Orwell can\u2019t decide whose side to be on and it\u2019s developing into a constant internal struggle.
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\nAnd then we get to experience a powerful mix of man vs. self and man vs. society as Orwell decides whether or not to kill the elephant. He realizes that the two thousand people want the meat, the tusks and they expect him to kill the elephant. At the same time, he repels the idea because he doesn\u2019t want to kill the majestic animal, seemingly tranquil at the moment. Inside, a vicious struggle breaks out between pleasing the people and protecting this valuable animal. The man vs. society conflict backs up this inner conflict.
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\nOrwell does an excellent job of creating suspense in his anecdote. He first uses the old woman screaming to catch our interest and give the situation some urgency. Then, with the gruesome description of the dead man, he puts the reader on alert mode, and we get a taste of danger. The gathering of the crowd adds pressure on our protagonist, a pressure that the reader also experiences. And finally, as Orwell desperately tries to come to a solution, the reader is tense, awaiting his decision.
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\nOrwell is also very good at getting the reader to feel empathy for him by vividly describing the pressure he felt as the Burmese breathed down his neck. We feel for him because he is put in a position where he must do something he doesn\u2019t to. The expectation of 2000 people is very heavy and one can practically feel the weight. Even with the torturously slow death of the elephant, one feels bad for Orwell because he really did want the elephant\u2019s death to be as quick as possible and it results in the opposite. His desperation to end the elephant\u2019s life does not leave the reader viewing him as a murderer but instead a victim of expectations.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33681640","body":"Well-written Carolina,
\n
\nThanks,
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\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296848051","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33612046","dateCreated":"1296758245","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"teagvest","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/teagvest","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33612046"},"dateDigested":1531973858,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Shooting an Elephant","description":"Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell is a powerful account of internal angst and self-doubt. His emotion is heightened by the 2,000 spectators that are intent on his succumbing to their will; he feels against shooting the innocent elephant, but the crowd expects him to finish it off. It is a situation which most people could not perceive, taking the life of a living creature; and one can imagine his pain and relate to his inward horror.
\nHis pressure comes from several factors: first, he is a European man in the midst of Burmans, a place where it is inconceivable and forbidden to show fear. Second, while dealing with his own doubt, an eager crowd awaits his supposedly obvious choice: to kill the elephant. His belief is that the elephant merely had an attack of \u201cmust\u201d and lost control for a while but was innocent. He had no right to take its or anyone else\u2019s life, and there was also the owner to think about. If the thing needed to be shot, let the owner. But the owner wasn\u2019t there and the crowd watching in anticipation forced him to choose against himself in order to save face. \u201cEven then I was not thinking particularly of my own skin, only of the watchful yellow faces behind.\u201d He could not show his fear and walk away; he would be ridiculed and put to shame, which could not be allowed for the sake of his mother country, England. And while he dreaded the thought of killing the elephant, he did.
\nThere were several risks as well. There was the elephant itself, who might still be riled up and moody and charge. Had he decided to not shoot, the crowd would disgrace him and maybe even try to inflict physical harm. Law also dictated that mad animals must be killed, the way one would kill a mad dog. His older country folk told him he had done the right thing, but his peers disagreed- they said it was a shame to kill a beast because it had killed a native. \u201cThe younger men said it was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie.\u201d
\nHe has the crowd and their expectations to think of, an example of man-versus-society conflict- bloodthirsty people who enjoy bloodshed. He didn\u2019t want their bloodlust to be taken out on himself, so he had to let them take it out on a dying elephant. This sparks some of his man-versus-self conflict. The elephant is the source of controversy that is manifested in Orwell\u2019s brain: it had killed a man, but it had just gone crazy temporarily. It was innocent now. It was his fear of the crowd that forced him to do it.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33617900","body":"Teag,
\n
\nHow do we punctuate essays?
\nCan you see the grammatical issue here? 'His emotion is heightened by the 2,000 spectators that are intent on his succumbing to their will;...'
\n
\nIs 'Burmans' correct?
\n
\nPlease write in the present tense.
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296762190","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33582104","dateCreated":"1296705959","smartDate":"Feb 2, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"maaayyyaaa","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/maaayyyaaa","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222817730\/maaayyyaaa-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33582104"},"dateDigested":1531973858,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Elephants, And Other Such Things","description":"\u201cShooting An Elephant\u201d by George Orwell opens with a description of the narrator\u2019s mixed feelings towards British imperialism and the native people of Burma. The narrator is a police officer in a small rural village, and witnesses some of imperialism\u2019s worst effects. But he is also subject to the unending taunting and jeering of the locals. With this in mind, he then recounts an event involving large animals, large guns, and large decisions.
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\nThe conflict is presented when a fellow policeman warns our protagonist that there is a crazy elephant on the loose. Both the situation and the suspense intensify when the narrator sees the dead man and sends for a gun. At this point, the elephant\u2019s threat passes from a wispy bouncing-around rumor to a real-life here-and-now situation. Here is proof that the beast is dangerous. The risks of confronting it now include death.
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\nThen the narrator reaches the paddy field, where the elephant is grazing peacefully. It suddenly seems very, very innocent and vulnerable and human. All previous ideas of a rabid crazed beast dissipate with this new image. The elephant is standing there, serene and composed, cleaning off its grass and then munching on it with a \u201cpreoccupied grandmotherly air.\u201d At this point, the reader pauses. The narrator can\u2019t possibly kill the animal. Yes, it killed a man, but it\u2019s not killing anyone anymore, is it? It\u2019s just eating grass. Just let it eat its grass. In peace. Jeez.
\n
\nBut the audience of two thousand has other ideas. They want blood, and they will get their blood, and if they don\u2019t get their blood, they will be deeply unhappy, and deeply unhappy crowds often turn into deeply angry mobs. And angry mobs do messy things. The narrator knows this. This is the climax, when the narrator realizes he must kill the elephant. Do we sympathize with the narrator? Yes, and no. We all know the feeling of helplessness, of being caught between two forces. We all know the desire to please and to satisfy others. Orwell explores this human desire. He starts out by stating that \u201c[i]n Moulmein, in lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people\u2026\u201d He also mentions that at times, stabbing one of those obnoxious Buddhist monks in the stomach would be his greatest pleasure. Their incessant abuse enrages him. Yet the only reason he finally shoots the elephant is for fear of more humiliation. Why should he care what the natives think of him? Does he believe that he can possibly be degraded further, in their eyes, by refusing to kill it? Or rather, will he really gain the natives\u2019 approval by shooting the elephant? The crowd is not concerned with such matters of worthiness. They are not aware of the greater struggle between Europeans and natives. They are just there for the show. \u201cThey were watching [him] as they would watch a conjurer about to perform a trick. They did not like [him], but with the magical rifle in [his] hands [he] was momentarily worth watching.\u201d Here is where we, as readers, cease to sympathize with him. You terrible, horrible person, we cry out. You\u2019re going against all your morals to save yourself from enduring some humiliation from people who already humiliate you every day. This isn\u2019t going to change anything.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33617368","body":"Maya,
\n
\nI love this: 'involving large animals, large guns, and large decisions.'
\n
\nThe personalized writing here is touching and funny. Don't loose your voice?
\n
\nAnd this: 'They want blood, and they will get their blood, and if they don\u2019t get their blood, they will be deeply unhappy, and deeply unhappy crowds often turn into deeply angry mobs.' This is good writing as it actually is building suspense on top of itself, incrementally... yet the casual tone is very fetching.
\n
\nImpressed,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296761923","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33579128","dateCreated":"1296701518","smartDate":"Feb 2, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"paulasev_th","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/paulasev_th","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1265121950\/paulasev_th-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33579128"},"dateDigested":1531973859,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Shootingan Elephant","description":" George Orwell is a policeman in British-occupied Burma. Like any other European in these lands, he is not liked by the natives, and has to struggle daily against their hate. When he is sent to take care of an elephant that had escaped and was destroying the people\u2019s hut, he is confronted with an inner conflict: should he shoot the animal? When he finds it, \u201cthe elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow.\u201d He didn\u2019t want to shoot the animal, because it would feel as a murder. However, he doesn\u2019t know what to do, because behind him, there are about two thousand people, waiting for some \u201cfun,\u201d expecting him to shoot. This is the perfect time for him to gain some recognition, and even respect, from the people that hate his race so much. George is then divided between deciding to shoot the elephant and just making sure he doesn\u2019t hurt anyone. Whatever he decides, he is risking something. For example, if he didn\u2019t do anything to the elephant and decided to let it alone, \u201cthe crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life\u2026 was one long struggle not to be laughed at.\u201d However, if he shot the elephant, the owner would probably be furious, because \u201calive, the elephant was worth at least a hundred pounds; dead, he would only be worth the value of his tusks, five pounds.\u201d He would also feel terribly guilty.
\n The conflict becomes nerve-racking as the story continues. This is because of the increasing tension in the atmosphere. More people arrive every second to the scene, causing George to feel even more pressured. Before deciding whether to shoot the elephant or not, he \u201c[looks] at the sea of yellow faces above the garish clothes-faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot.\u201d This impatience in the audience is transmitted to the reader, increasing the anxiety. Finally, when George decides to shoot the animal, the elephant doesn\u2019t die. He shoots again, again, desperately. If the elephant had died instantly, the tension would have disappeared quickly. However, even though he continues shooting, death doesn\u2019t arrive. The desperation also creates suspense.
\n Apart from the main problem in the story, which is George\u2019s decision, there are other conflicts present, which also affect the plot. Europeans and natives do not get along well. Orwell claims that, \u201cif a European woman went through the bazaars alone somebody would probably spit betel juice over her dress.\u201d The division between these two ethnicities degrades George in the eyes of the people in Burma, and therefore pressures him to shoot the elephant, in order to improve his image. George is also going through another conflict, which is that he is \u201cstuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible.\u201d George doesn\u2019t approve the British point of view nor the native. If he believed strongly in the British policy, he would have not considered killing the elephant, because he would not care what the people believed about him. Finally, George and the elephant clash because the elephant doesn\u2019t die, and George wants him to.
\n The reader feels empathy for George, because one can understand the risk of his decision: or human acceptance, or guilt.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33616826","body":"Paula,
\n
\nSome small grammatical issues:
\n
\n1) 'When he is sent to take care of an elephant that had escaped...' Can you identify the issue?
\n2)'confronted with an inner conflict'
\n
\nOtherwise, a clear and thoughtful response.
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296761649","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"33635228","body":"1. "When he is sent to take care of an elephant, which had escpaed..."
\n2. "He has to go through an inner conflict."","dateCreated":"1296777582","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"paulasev_th","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/paulasev_th","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1265121950\/paulasev_th-lg.jpg"}},{"id":"33681576","body":"OK Paula,
\n
\nI will tell you...
\n
\n1) When he is sent to take care of an elephant WHO has escaped.
\n2) inner-conflict
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296847990","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"33578336","dateCreated":"1296700599","smartDate":"Feb 2, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kelseygymnastics","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kelseygymnastics","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222807559\/kelseygymnastics-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/33578336"},"dateDigested":1531973859,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Shooting An Elephant","description":"In the narrative \u2018Shooting An Elephant\u2019 by George Owell, the protagonist finds himself in the midst of a conflict. He battles ethics in an intense internal struggle. Should he kill the elephant and deal with the moral consequences, as well as with the comments of his peers, or let the elephant live and disappoint an immense crowd? He also struggles with his identity in the world of imperialism. He was the target of \u201cbitter\u201d feelings, as a European, but secretly empathized with the Burmese plight. This puts him between a rock and a hard place: he, as a Brit sent to a province, has a job to do, but he detests the world of imperialism and its overlords. He is torn between his patriotic feelings and his true beliefs. This conflict is symbolized by the elephant troubles. Should he be a humanitarian and let down the Burmese people or should he lay aside his sympathies for the elephant to please the masses?
\n The shooting of the elephant by the main character in this narrative may also have been to compensate the people of Burma. The elephant had caused damages in the town: destroyed huts, killed a cow, ate crops, and even caused the death of a man. One could infer that the protagonist wanted to give the people the meat, and the satisfaction and excitement that came from the kill.
\n I can feel empathy for the situation in which the protagonist finds himself, but only to a certain degree. The pressure caused by the swarm of people trailing behind the protagonist made him like a \u201cpuppet\u201d. He felt like these people were depending on him for entertainment, for a \u201cmagic trick\u201d. Yes, the effects of peer pressure are powerful, but it was still wrong and cruel to kill an innocent animal. He himself had thought that the \u201c\u2019must\u2019 was already passing off\u201d and that he would not shoot unless the elephant once again turned violent. So he violated even his own moral code, remarking that it would be \u201cmurder\u201d to kill the elephant, with its \u201cgrandmotherly air\u201d.
\n Some of the potential risks in this situation include: the anger and (potentially) ensuing revenge of the owner, humiliation at the hands of the crowd, and the elephant charging and killing the protagonist. He thinks to himself that the owner would certainly be disgruntled if his elephant was killed. He says that \u201calive, the elephant was worth at least a hundred pounds; dead, he would only be worth the value of his tusks, five pounds, possibly.\u201d But he also has to think of his reputation. He would be laughed at if he did not shoot the animal, and he believes that he has to do what the natives expect in every case. He also worries about the elephant becoming violent again and charging him as he walks up. He says that \u201cif the elephant charged and I missed him, I should have about as much chance as a toad under a steam-roller.\u201d","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"33616286","body":"Paula,
\n
\nA question: You write that,'One could infer that the protagonist wanted to give the people the meat, and the satisfaction and excitement that came from the kill.' But doesn't he quite explicitly state that that would not be his intention? Is is something that we can infer as well? Can we then infer both points of view simultaneously? Or do you think that I am incorrect here?
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296761341","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"33616446","body":"Sorry,
\n
\nI mean Kelsey","dateCreated":"1296761437","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"33644354","body":"i believe that the main character did want to give the people that (albeit indirectly), because it was what they wanted. He was trying not to be laughed at, and he says that "he has got to do what the 'natives' expect of him". The natives expected him to shoot the elephant, so he did. I suppose that we could infer both points of view; he simultaneously says that he does not want to shoot the elephant, but he does not wish to disappoint the huge crowd of people behind him, expecting "magic."","dateCreated":"1296786350","smartDate":"Feb 3, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kelseygymnastics","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kelseygymnastics","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222807559\/kelseygymnastics-lg.jpg"}},{"id":"33681704","body":"Thanks Kelsey,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1296848111","smartDate":"Feb 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":true},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}