“To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing—no, that was impossible.”

What purpose does the end phrase separated by the em dash serve in this sentence?

“At last, after what seemed a long time—it might have been five seconds, I dare say—he sagged flabbily to his knees. His mouth slobbered. An enormous senility seemed to have settled upon him.”

In three to five sentences, explain the methods used by the author to create sentence fluency and rhythm in this passage.

“To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing—no, that was impossible.”

The phrases “all that way,” “marching at my heels,” and “trail feebly away,” support what type of word choices?

“And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly.”

Which phrase demonstrates the author’s use of imagery?

“I had committed myself to doing it when I sent for the rifle. A sahib has got to act like a sahib; he has got to appear resolute, to know his own mind and do definite things. To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing–no, that was impossible. The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man’s life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at.”

In six to eight sentences, explain the dominant message of this passage and the methods the author uses to support the message.