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The Power Of Peer Pressure In George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant

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The power of peer pressure can evidently raise an error in judgement as it allows you to act in a manner to please others before pleasing yourself. Peer-pressure is an influential demonstration of how someone can neglect the morals of themselves in order to please others around them. This dilemma was evident in George Orwell 's “Shooting an Elephant” as the power of peer pressure forced George Orwell to shoot an elephant he originally didn’t want to shoot. Nevertheless, the power of peer pressure forced him to act out the will of others around him. This is an influential demonstration of how peer pressure can make a person neglect their own morals and consciousness just to please those around them. In George Orwell 's short story titled “Shooting an Elephant” presented an event that changed a countries civilization. George’s life in Burma, and the prejudice placed by the people he oppressed inspired his writing through the uses of setting, style, and theme. In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” Orwell no specific event influenced this piece rather it was an accumulation of many small events of prejudice and hate by an opposing group of …show more content…

There are numerous themes in this short story such as British imperialism and colonial resentment however the most prominent theme in this story is fear of humiliation and the effect peer- pressure has on an individual. The setting of Burma helps work with this theme as it provides an area for the plot to take place and develop. After marching miles to the destination of the elephant, a crowd had surrounded George Orwell and encourages Orwell to kill the elephant. George Orwell is compelled to kill the once ravaging elephant due to the fact that Orwell wants to avoid looking like a fool. George Orwell is willing to sacrifice his role of doing the right thing and fulfilling the Burmese wishes in order to save himself from

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