A high school student may be asked the question of when peer pressure has had an influence in his life, to the point in which he did something stupid because If a high school student were asked this question, most answers would be “yes”, I myself would answer yes it's not just a high school situation, it's always had its effect on people throughout human history, as in Orwell's short story, “Shooting the Elephant,” in which peer pressure drives a man to shoot a harmless creature, or in Lessing's short story, “Don't; there is witchcraft for sale,” when the black cook Gideon must make a choice whether to give up an ancient cure to his white counterparts. Peer pressure in both the lyrics of “Shooting and Elephant” and “No Witchcraft for Sale " plays a fundamental role in the stories while simpler solutions could have been adopted. George Orwell's first text. titled “Shooting an Elephant” shows how peer pressure greatly influenced him in making his final decision. As George headed towards the spot where the elephant had been sighted, he declared: “I looked around at the crowd that had followed me. I was an immense crowd, at least two thousand people, who was growing minute by minute." (Orwell, Shooting an Elephant, page 1322) With two thousand people around wanting him to shoot and kill an “innocent looking” person it would be nothing short of peer pressure. Orwell then states, “I didn't want to shoot the elephant” (Orwell, Shooting an Elephant, page 1323). However, in the end, with the large crowd salivating with excitement at seeing an elephant being shot, Orwell shot the elephant. Technically the elephant went on a rampage, killing a man in the process, but now the elephant had calmed down. The reason why the elephant was in that… middle of paper… a crowd of two thousand people under pressure lurking on him. Many other solutions could have been taken by Orwell, however due to the peer pressure around him to take the elephant's life; Orwell gave in and took the elephant's life. While in the case of “No Witchcraft for Sale” Gideon was justified in choosing not to reveal its root to the British scientist. However, by revealing the root, Gideon could have saved the sight of many people who would have lost it to the poisonous serpent. However, in Gideon's defense, he most likely did not want the fame or money that would come with revealing the secret herbal medicine. In these two texts “Shooting and Elephant” and “No Witchcraft for Sale” peer pressure played an important role in the outcome of the stories. It begs the question of how peer pressure has played a major role in the outcome of our lives.