George Orwell: "Shooting an Elephant" (Texts in Context) + ANSWER KEY

This advanced ready-to-teach handout uses George Orwell’s famous essay “Shooting An Elephant” (a sweeping criticism of British Imperialism and colonial rule) to give students the opportunity to read and study one of the most iconic and important literary and political writers of the 20th century, George Orwell. The handout includes:

1. Brief historical overview and contextualized information about Orwell and his experiences in Burma, upon which his essay “Shooting an Elephant” is based.

2. “Shooting an Elephant”, the full essay text, annotated with explanations of important terms and concepts specific to the socio-cultural context of composition of the text. The essay includes line numbers for easy annotation and close reading.

3. A range of close reading and analysis questions that are split up into two parts (based on the development of the “story” within the essay.

4. Extension activity that facilitates a holistic, essay-style response to the central issues of the essay.

5. ANSWER KEY for the comprehension questions AND the extension activity (sample essay style response).

Enjoy, and please leave feedback!