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In “shooting an elephant” what motivates Orwell to takes actions he would prefer to avoid?

A. He must prove that he and not the Burmese is in control of the situation
B. He wants to do the Burmese a favor by providing food for them
C. He wants to please his superiors in the British service
D. He is in charge and must protect the Burmese from the elephant

User Dajon
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2 Answers

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A. He must prove that he, and not the Burmese, is in control of the situation.
User Thomas Owens
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Answer: The right answer is the A) He must prove that he and not the Burmese is in control of the situation.

Explanation: The people of Moulmein, where the speaker was assigned to work as a police officer, hated and teased him. In spite of that, he was against imperialism and secretedly sided with the Burmans. One day he was informed that an elephant was running around the town and causing damages, and he was asked to do something about it. He did not know what to do at first, but, when the elephant killed a man, he borrowed an elephant riffle and approached him, not with the intention of killing him, but of protecting himself. A crowd of people followed him. When he spotted the elephant peacefully eating at a distance, he decided to watch him for a little bit longer and let him go. However, many locals had gathered around him, and he then felt that he had to prove to them that he was the one in control, that "he was not a fool," as he himself said, so he shot at him repeatedly and eventually ended with his life—although he left before the animal died, since he could not stand seeing him suffering.

User Estebro
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