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I now tend towards believing that Orwell did shoot the elephant for two reasons:


The wikipedia entry refers to a contemporary of Orwell's in the Burma police, called George Stuart, who said...

I have been reading the introduction to another collection of Orwell's essays. I was disturbed to read that not only might Orwell not have shot the elephant, that also that it was not him who was...

Nice, but a little expensive, in least in hardback form. It also does not say which essays are included.

I have to admit, I am getting a little annoyed at the proliferation of Orwell books. It is...

Oh no, every time I think I am near finishing Orwell I discover something else. I thought I only had A Clergyman's Daughter left. Then I discover his essays. Last Saturday I went into a bookshop and...

The degree to which the story is fiction has been disputed. In his biography of Orwell, George Orwell: A Life, Bernard Crick cast doubt on the idea that Orwell himself actually shot an elephant. No...

Interesting link. Musth is not directly linked to reproduction like the rut, but seems more a behaviour pattern evolved for shaking up elephant hierarchies. Bull elephants in musth become so violent...

It could be that the presence of the villagers actually forced Orwell into making the correct decision. Orwell did not want to kill the elephant. He planned to stay put and only shoot it if started...

I suppose a big point is that Orwell would have behaved differently if the crowd of villagers had not been there. He shot it because he wanted to please the villagers and gain a little respect from...

I do not know much about elephants. It may be that an elephant is different to a dangerous dog in that an elephant's behaviour is more predictable. Possibly all elephants are dangerous during their...

I will have to read that essay again. I did not think Orwell could be blamed too much for his actions. He was in a difficult position and he had to make some decisions. These days the police may well...

Wouldn't it have been better to post this in the Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness sub-forum if you wanted to discuss it?

I have been reading Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays. I have really enjoyed them. I think they contain some of Orwell's best writing. I have just finished Thus, Thus Were the Joys, which was a...