ITS/ANT 301 9/21/16 Sebro Fanon's Wretched of the Earth and Orwell's Shooting an Elephant discussion questions Wretched of the Earth, Ch 1, On

ITS/ANT 301

9/21/16

Sebro

Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth and Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant discussion questions

Wretched of the Earth, Ch 1, On Violence pgs. 1-10

1. When Fanon states, “decolonization is always a violent event,” what does he mean by this?

1. What does it mean to decolonize? How can you decolonize yourself, and your relationship with the world? Why is this a charge Fanon demands of us?

1. Fanon is a psychoanalyst and a Marxist, but he rejects simplistic characterizations of colonialism as “class struggle.” What are the true roots of colonialism?

Shooting an Elephant

1. In paragraph 7 of Shooting an Elephant, Orwell states that, “I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” Explain what he means by this by retelling the story of Orwell shooting the elephant. What is Orwell’s position on British colonial presence in Burma?

1. In paragraph 6 Orwell states, “As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him.” Why, then, does he decide to shoot the elephant? Refer to specifics from the text.

1. Compare and contrast the description of the killing of the elephant as related in paragraphs 10-13 with that of the killing of the Indian as related in paragraph 4. Consider the rhetorical purpose of the descriptions. 

1. Imagine that you are George Orwell and you have been charged with the task to shoot the elephant. Write a brief narrative of how you would have dealt with the situation.