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George Orwell 's Shooting An Elephant

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Through reading and writing literature we use our brains to think abstractly about, and dive deeper into, common ideas. On the surface, George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” tells the story of the struggle between those who rule and those who are ruled over, while personifying this struggle through the narrator and his internal struggle. I would argue that more can be taken from this essay and applied to make a lasting impact on the heart of a young person. We live in world where young adults are coming of age in a world where you express yourself in one-hundred-forty characters or less. Where peers are free to label each other as intolerant if they don’t share common views. Where the popular desire is not to be yourself, but to find a way to make yourself different. “Shooting an Elephant” has the power to give perspective on these destructive, and all too common, patterns of thought.
In the light of the explosion of social media, we are witnessing a generation that is increasingly unable to focus. Social media is quickly retraining the brains of its users with constant notifications and its conversion of conversations to only comments. Orwell’s essay is perfect for presenting to young people because of decreasing attention span of our youth. This essay is concrete and concise. Much of the focus on teaching literature surrounds novels and poetry, while this essay allows readers to discover a story through a different way. The length of the essay also needs to be considered

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