For Feb. 2, read Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant."
Writing assignment: When discussing "A Hanging," we talked about how Orwell uses details as a way to give us something to think about beyond what we're being directly told. Orwell invites us to think about what he's showing us. Yes, he tells us how he realizes, in a surprising moment, the humanity of the condemned man, but he also lets us judge the situation for ourselves by providing us with the details of everything he observes and juxtaposing radically opposing moods and images (for example: death/laughter; chasing the dog/approaching the gallows). We saw also how Orwell doesn't pronounce judgment on the group that witnessed the hanging, but rather lets us make our own judgments.
In "Shooting an Elephant," what details cause you surprise or to see the situation differently? Also, what is Orwell's judgment of himself? Does he see his actions as moral? What aspects or moments in the story seem to give Orwell the greatest moral concern?
Type your answers.
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