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14 Afterwards, of course, there were endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant. The owner was furious, but he was only an Indian and could do nothing. Besides, legally I had done the right thing, for a mad elephant has to be killed, like a mad dog, if its owner fails to control it. Among the Europeans, opinion was divided. The older men said I was right, the younger men said it was a shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more than any Coringhee coolie. And afterwards I was very glad that the coolie had been killed; it put me legally in the right and gave me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant. I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.
Second Read
• Reread the reflective essay to answer these text-dependent questions.
• Write any additional questions you have about the essay in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
1. Key Ideas and Details: Based on details in paragraphs 1 and 2, what can readers infer about what the narrator is like as a person? How does he respond to the hatred of the Burmese?
The reader can infer that the narrator is a thoughtful, reflective person. He recognizes that, as a European and a police officer, he is a part of a loathed imperialist system: “Imperialism was an evil thing,” yet he is still hurt that the Burmese seem to hate him. They target him for insults and “hideous laughter” because he is a representative of the oppressive British empire. RI.11–12.3
2. Key Ideas and Details: How does Orwell use imagery in the first two paragraphs to create a contrast between the people of Burma and the narrator? What is the effect on the reader?
The narrator is unsparing in his description of the Burmese; he describes “the sneering yellow faces of young men,” the spitting on European women in the bazaar, the stinking cages in the prisons, and the scars of the men beaten with bamboo. Yet the reader understands that that even though the Burmese hate the narrator, he has sympathy for them and the conditions that they live in. He hates the empire as much as the Burmese do. RI.11–12.3
3. Key Ideas and Details: In paragraph 3, what does the narrator mean when he uses the word “enlightening”?
He means that he experienced a moment of sudden understanding and clarity about “the real nature of imperialism” and “the real motives for which despotic governments act.” RI.11–12.1
4. Key Ideas and Details: Explain the sequence of events that leads to the narrator being called to “do something about” a rampaging elephant.
A tame elephant had “gone ‘must,’” and after it had broken free from its chains, it “destroyed somebody’s hut, killed a cow and raided some fruit stalls.” It had also knocked over the local garbage collector’s truck. RI.11–12.3
My Notes
Unit 1 • Perception Is Everything 73
ACTIVITY 1.18
continued
ACTIVITY 1.18 continued
12 Based on the observations you made during the first reading, you may want to adjust the reading mode for the second reading. For example, you may decide to read aloud certain complex passages, or you may group students differently.
13 SECOND READ: During the second reading, students will be returning to the text to answer the text-dependent comprehension questions. You may choose to have students reread and work on the questions in a variety of ways:
• independently
• in pairs
• in small groups
• together as a class
14 Have students answer the text-dependent questions. If they have difficulty, scaffold the questions by rephrasing them or breaking them down into smaller parts. See the Scaffolding the Text-Dependent Questions boxes for suggestions.
15 Call on students to share any of their own questions that they have about the essay. Discuss them as
a class.
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SCAFFOLDING THE TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS
11. Key Ideas and Details (RI.11–12.2) What central idea about the value of life in imperial Burma is revealed by the “endless discussions about the shooting of the elephant” in the final paragraph? Look at the responses from each group the narrator identifies, as well as his own reflections. What underlying assumption about the lives of people and elephants do these ideas reflect?
Unit 1 • Perception Is Everything 73
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.