Beginning of Essay
In “Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell finds himself in a difficult situation involving an elephant. The fate of the elephant lies in his hands. Only he can make the final decision. In the end, due to Orwell's decision, the elephant lay dying in a pool o ....

Middle of Essay
.... in a situation in which he or she has been expected to be a leader. For different reasons people are looked to as leaders, sometimes because of their race, ethnicity, or heritage. In this case, Orwell was pictured as a leader because he was British and he worked for the British Empire. Readers are able to relate to the fact that he does not want to be humiliated in front of the Burmese. He declares, “Every white man's life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at” (101). Orwell compares the elephant to the huge British Empire, and just as the elephant has lost control, he feels that when the white man turns tyrant it is his o ....