Description
George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is a student favorite for practicing rhetorical analysis and identifying rhetorical devices. This engaging scavenger hunt offers a fun yet challenging way to prepare for the AP Language and Composition exam. Includes digital worksheets for Google Classroom®!
Included with this Rhetorical Analysis for “Shooting an Elephant”:
- Rhetorical Device Graphic Organizer – Digital & Print
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- Includes 10 literary devices to search for in George Orwell’s narrative essay
- Prompts students to locate and analyze each rhetorical device example
- Detailed Answer Key
- Teacher Instructions for using this resource
⚠️If your students are new to rhetorical devices, consider using this Introductory Device Wall as a visual support tool. This separate resource offers clear definitions and classroom-ready reference materials to help clarify key literary terms before diving into more advanced analysis.
How to use this Rhetorical Analysis for “Shooting an Elephant”:
“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell is a powerful narrative essay reflecting on the British Empire’s presence in Burma (modern-day Myanmar). Rich in metaphor and social commentary, the story recounts a British officer’s moral conflict after being ordered to shoot a rampaging elephant. The piece provides an ideal foundation for rhetorical analysis, as Orwell’s use of tone, imagery, and irony reveals his conflicted stance on authority, imperialism, and moral responsibility. When students engage in rhetorical analysis of this text, they explore how Orwell’s language choices reveal the psychological and ethical burden of colonial rule. His careful balance of narrative and persuasion makes the essay a model for understanding how authors use rhetoric to influence readers’ emotions and beliefs.
This essay offers an engaging exploration of the complex relationship between the British military and the Burmese people, as well as the tension between personal conscience and imperial duty. Through rhetorical analysis, students can examine how Orwell’s conflicting emotions mirror the hypocrisy and dehumanization inherent in the imperial system. The essay’s first-person perspective and introspective tone create a powerful sense of inner conflict, allowing readers to empathize with the narrator’s struggle between his private beliefs and his public role. Teachers can guide students to analyze rhetorical appeals such as ethos, pathos, and logos, illustrating how Orwell’s credibility, emotional narrative, and logical argument work together to critique imperial power structures. The rhetorical analysis of this section helps learners understand how Orwell’s personal anecdote becomes a broader statement about moral corruption under empire.
Perfect for an AP Language and Composition syllabus or any senior English Language Arts classroom, this resource includes a Rhetorical Devices Scavenger Hunt designed to strengthen students’ analytical skills. This activity allows students to practice close reading and apply rhetorical analysis techniques to identify how language and structure shape meaning. By examining Orwell’s diction, syntax, and figurative language, students uncover how his rhetorical strategies expose the absurdity of colonial authority. The scavenger hunt provides a hands-on, interactive way for students to engage with the text beyond summary, helping them to identify and explain how literary and rhetorical devices serve the author’s argument. Whether used as an introductory exercise or as a reinforcement tool for essay writing, the scavenger hunt reinforces the process of critical inquiry central to rhetorical analysis.
The literary devices highlighted in this scavenger hunt include:
- Imagery
- Aphorism
- Analogy
- Contrast
- Extended Metaphor
- Irony
- Simile
- Metaphor
- Motif
- Amplification
- Personification
Each of these devices offers a distinct opportunity for rhetorical analysis. For instance, imagery allows students to interpret Orwell’s vivid descriptions of the Burmese marketplace, which emphasize the tension and spectacle of the event. Irony invites discussion on the contradiction between the narrator’s supposed authority and his actual powerlessness in front of the crowd. Extended metaphors, such as the elephant symbolizing the British Empire itself, deepen the interpretive layers of the essay. Through this device list, the rhetorical analysis activity encourages students to look at how Orwell’s stylistic and structural choices evoke emotion and reveal his political stance.
Students are prompted with one of the literary devices listed above in each section of the graphic organizer. They must find an example of the rhetorical device in the narrative essay; they must also analyze the rhetorical device to explain the literary effect on the essay as a whole. This process mirrors the expectations of an AP Language rhetorical analysis essay, in which students must not only identify rhetorical techniques but also evaluate their function and impact. The organizer helps scaffold this process by guiding students step-by-step through evidence gathering, explanation, and synthesis. It teaches them how to transition from surface-level identification to interpretive commentary—an essential skill in advanced writing and literary study.
An example has been provided in order to model expectations for this activity. To consolidate this graphic organizer, an answer key has also been included. The model example demonstrates how a strong rhetorical analysis response integrates evidence, explanation, and evaluation into a cohesive argument. Teachers can use it to illustrate key phrases, transitions, and analytical verbs that strengthen student writing. Reviewing the answer key also encourages students to self-assess and refine their analytical techniques, reinforcing the iterative process of writing and revising rhetorical analysis essays.
Ultimately, “Shooting an Elephant” offers a rich foundation for developing critical reading and analytical writing skills through rhetorical analysis. Students learn to recognize that every literary choice—word selection, tone, metaphor, or structure—serves a deliberate rhetorical purpose. By analyzing Orwell’s essay through this lens, they gain insight into how authors use language not only to tell stories but also to challenge systems of power and provoke moral reflection. The rhetorical analysis of this essay encourages students to connect historical context, authorial purpose, and linguistic craft, cultivating a deeper appreciation for persuasive writing and ethical storytelling.
✨ Kindly note that due to copyright restrictions, this resource is not editable, except for the files specifically labelled as editable. This is a common practice within the online marketplace in order to protect the clip artists and software providers that have authorized their intellectual property for the development of this resource.
⭒ For classrooms utilizing Google Classroom® ⭒
To access the digital version of these worksheets, simply follow the instructions within the resource to copy the files directly to your Google Drive®.
