Chp 1 Flashcards
(33 cards)
What position did the narrator hold in Moulmein?
Sub-divisional police officer
The narrator faced significant resentment from the local population.
What was the general attitude towards Europeans in Moulmein?
Anti-European feeling was very bitter
The local population would express their animosity through small acts of defiance.
How did the narrator feel about imperialism?
He believed it was an evil thing
He struggled with his role as an enforcer of imperial rule.
What did the narrator think of the prisoners he encountered?
They oppressed him with an intolerable sense of guilt
The conditions of the prisoners highlighted the brutality of imperialism.
What incident prompted the narrator to go out and investigate?
An elephant was ravaging the bazaar
The elephant was a tame one that had gone ‘must’.
What had the elephant done before the narrator arrived?
It had destroyed a bamboo hut, killed a cow, and raided fruit stalls
The elephant’s rampage created panic among the local population.
What did the narrator find upon arriving at the scene?
A man’s dead body sprawled in the mud
The man had been killed by the elephant, adding urgency to the situation.
What was the narrator’s initial intention with the rifle?
To defend himself if necessary
He had no intention of shooting the elephant at first.
How did the crowd react when they saw the narrator with the rifle?
They were excited and believed he was going to shoot the elephant
Their anticipation added pressure on the narrator.
What realization did the narrator come to when he saw the elephant?
He ought not to shoot him
The elephant appeared harmless and valuable as a working animal.
What was the narrator’s internal conflict regarding shooting the elephant?
He did not want to shoot the elephant but felt pressured by the crowd
This reflects the theme of the conflict between personal morals and social expectations.
What did the crowd’s reaction to the narrator signify?
The crowd’s expectations forced him into a role he did not want
It illustrates the loss of freedom for the oppressor under imperialism.
What does the narrator mean by saying he was a ‘hollow, posing dummy’?
He felt he was a puppet of the crowd’s expectations
This highlights the paradox of power in colonial rule.
What ultimately led the narrator to shoot the elephant?
The overwhelming pressure from the crowd
He felt compelled to act in a way that maintained his authority.
What was the narrator’s emotional state as he prepared to shoot the elephant?
He felt it would be murder and was uneasy about the act
This reflects his internal struggle with the morality of his actions.
What did the narrator observe about the elephant after shooting it?
The elephant appeared stricken and old
This physical change represented the impact of the act on both the elephant and the narrator.
What is the significance of the narrator’s experience with the elephant?
It symbolizes the complexities and moral dilemmas of imperialism
The act of shooting the elephant serves as a metaphor for the consequences of colonial power.
What change occurred to the elephant after being shot?
The elephant looked stricken, shrunken, and immensely old
How did the elephant react to the first shot?
He sagged flabbily to his knees
What did the narrator observe about the elephant after the second shot?
The elephant climbed slowly to his feet and stood weakly upright
What was the effect of the third shot on the elephant?
It caused the elephant to feel agony and lose strength in his legs
Describe the elephant’s final moments before falling.
He seemed to tower upward and trumpeted for the first and only time
What physical state was the elephant in after falling?
He was breathing rhythmically with long rattling gasps
What did the narrator do when the elephant did not die after multiple shots?
He fired two remaining shots into the spot where he thought the heart was
