Subject
The subject of George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" is that conforming to sociocultural pressures in order to become accepted by society is not always a moral decision and can cause one to commit atrocities they may regret. This emphasis on conforming is illustrated through the fact that the narrator made his decision to cruelly shoot the elephant based on what he believed others expected of him. This support illustrates the subject because after the narrator shot the elephant he came to realize the potential immorality of his actions and immediately regretted it.
Occasion
"Shooting an Elephant" was written during the fall of 1936. The essay's time of creation is exhibited by the mentioning of Burma as an Indian state under British rule and the mentions of imperialism. Britain had practiced imperial rule in Burma during this time, which confirms the 1936 time stamp. The probable place of the essay's creation is in Moulmein, Lower Burma. This is supported by the author's introductory sentence, where he states plainly the location of the article's events: "in Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large numbers of people — the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me." He describes his dealings with the Burmese people in the article, further confirming the location.
The time and place of the essay's creation influence the essay by influencing what he thinks of British imperialism and what he thinks of the Burmese. The author is influenced by the disgust he's supposed to have for the Burmese people as a British man, but at the same time, his hatred of imperialism. "With one part of my mind I thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny...with another part I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest's guts." The time, when imperialism was prevalent, allowed the narrator to witness its practices and form a negative opinion of them, but the place, Burma, paradoxically also infused a hatred in him for the victims of imperialism, the Burmese.
Audience
George Orwell's specific audience for "Shooting an Elephant" is the British imperialists. The author's target audience is exhibited by his overall focus on imperialism and its evils. His anti-imperialist statements demonstrate that he is trying to influence the mind of those who subscribe to imperialism.
The author's general audience is the British people. The author's general audience is communicated through his focus on a subject that most British people would be initially familiar with, but might not know the intricate details of like Orwell does.
Purpose
George Orwell's purpose in "Shooting an Elephant" is to demonstrate that although a practice is culturally or socially accepted, it does not make it a moral practice, and one should always trust their ethical conscious above what social rules might dictate. This purpose is manifested by the narrator's initial reluctance before shooting the elephant and subsequent guilt after committing the act. The purpose is further revealed by the fact that the narrator's incentive to commit the act was based on what he thought others' wanted of him, not by moral consideration.
Speaker
George Orwell, 20th century author, believes imperialism is evil. This value is illustrated by his persistent saying that the Empire's imperialism is "dirty work". He further states "I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better". Imperialism at the time was accepted as a practice in Great Britain, but the narrator's obviously staunch opposition to it demonstrates that he believes it is not entirely moral.
Tone
George Orwell articulates a somber and spiteful attitude about the unjust societal practice he has just adhered to in "Shooting an Elephant". These attitudes are expressed by his somber statement that "in the end I could not stand it any longer and went away". The narrator realized his actions were so horrendous, he could not "stand" to stay at the site of the shooting any longer. This attitude validates the tone he uses to earlier express his feelings on imperialism - they both demonstrate disgust, suggesting that what he has done is in some way in link to the way he feels about imperialism. His concluding sentence, "I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool", expresses a degree of anger and spite at others' failure to realize the true immorality behind his actions.
