Thesis/Essay Map Statement: Through the names of the characters used, the ritualized use of a scapegoat, and the actions of the women in “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson symbolistically foreshadowed the unforeseeable ending and portrayed the culture of rural America.…
When considering the settings of “The Lottery” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” taking into consideration where and when these stories took place is critical. “The Lottery,” took place on a clear and sunny summers morning, at about 10o’clock on the 27th of June, with the flowers blooming profusely and the grass a richly green. The villagers were gathering on the square, between the Post office and the bank.…
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a seemingly normal day in a small village. The town has gathered together on a beautiful summers day to socialize and to support the local businesses. Typically, when one thinks of a lottery, they think of winning something pleasant, such as money or baked goods. However, after a few pages this is clearly not the case. In the beginning of the story, all the villagers are gathering while the children collect stones joyfully. Each family’s name is called, and the head of each household comes up to get a piece of paper nervously. Once all of the families have drawn a piece of paper it is quickly seen that Bill Hutchinson’s family has the only slip of paper with a black dot. They have won the lottery. However, winning the lottery is not as pleasant as was earlier assumed. Mrs. Hutchinson begins to protest, terrified of her family’s fate, proclaiming that the lottery is not fair. Her protests…
Unlike “The Rocking-Horse Winner”, the beginning of “The Lottery” has a tone of a warm and summery day. There are people gathering around and kids collecting stones, so it appears as if…
Shirley Jackson, author of the short story “The Lottery”, portrays population control as the purpose of the story. For instance, after the narrator states the amount of time the lottery took place in other villages, it continued saying, “... in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours…” (1) The period of the lottery in other towns was prolonged, but in this village, the lottery goes by quickly. The village kept a consistent population, and the population has never increased more than three hundred. In addition, Mr. Summers argued that he will need to use something sturdier than pieces of paper “... now that the population was more than three hundred and likely to keep on growing...”…
Does thoughtlessly obeying tradition justify senseless and violent murder? The setting of the story takes place in a small fictional village around the time an annual event dubbed “the lottery” is being conducted, garnering the attention of the entire community. Furthermore, the tone set in the beginning is that of a jovial and positive atmosphere sharply contrasting the disturbing ending and revelation of exactly what “the lottery” is; all the while exploring themes corresponding to the potentially harrowing effects of blindly following tradition, the fear of change and the stagnating effect it can have, and the impersonal randomness of prosecution. To summarize, due to the reasons listed above, society should be more mindful of the traditions that it faithfully upholds.…
There are a myriad of different possibilities for the theme of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, but to me the story represents the concept of blame. As humans, we sometimes feel a need to target someone as the root of our problems, even if we know that they were in no way involved. This makes us feel better because we are able to take out our anger or stress on someone else. In some cases this person may be picked at random, such as Tessie was in the story. This can at times be unfair to the target, considering that in some cases they may have done absolutely nothing wrong. Tessie speaks for these unfortunate people when she shrieks, “ It isn’t fair, it isn’t right!”…
5. How many hints of the seriousness of the occasion can you find in the early parts of the story? (Give a minimum of four examples of foreshadowing). From which characters do you get the best indication of what is to follow?…
In the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Destructors” even though the stories are in two different settings and time frames, the characters and tone of the stories are similar in the fact the characters are subject to difficult challenges of the environments they are living in.…
In The Lottery, the narrator is a third party, objective, nigh robotic presence. This seems to work well for the piece, as a first person narrator may not have been able to give as much of the story. The Yellow Wallpaper has an odd first person perspective. The narrator is not the main character in the story, but rather, seems to be perhaps a personal journal or diary that the main character is writing in. On page 731, line 38, of Literature: The Human Experience, The main character says “I am sitting by the window now, up in the atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my wring as much as I please, save lack of strength.” This is said right after “We have been here two weeks, and I haven’t felt like writing before, since that first day.” (The Human Experience, pp731 line 37) These two lines bring me to the conclusion…
At first glance, Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" seems like a shocking horror story meant to thrill the reader with an unexpected twist and create a sense of uneasiness. The lottery, at first, appears to be left up to chance, and the 'winner' is just one unlucky citizen of the village. However, if the reader takes on an analytical perspective while reading through this story, a common reference to ancient tradition surfaces. After considering the literary elements used, the underlying theme of barbarism in modern day religion comes to light. The black box atop the three-legged stool, the gathering of stones, even the summer day clues the reader in to the inevitable end of the lottery. Jackson uses abstract symbols such as her setting and character surnames, as well as concrete objects within her story to illustrate her theme of ritual sacrifice. Jackson's use of symbolism is more obvious in her description of concrete objects throughout her story.…
The world has seen plenty of tyrants: Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Hugo Chávez are only some. All of these men have committed absolutely unspeakable crimes against humanity, and their names should be in the history books as such. However, more people should rebuke the consent of the masses, for the wickedness of ordinary people can be just as horrifying as the heinous crime of a serial killer or a sadistic head of state.…
The story begins, “clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day” (Jackson 1). The author sets the bright, joyful mood for the lottery, an annual tradition held in the village. “The children assembled first,” (1) gathering to play together. Jackson describes the children “selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” (1) for what the reader might think could be any children’s game. The excited nature of the children encourages the reader to read with ease and happiness, although, further on in the story, the author completely changes the perspective of the reader. When the reader is introduced to the “prize” of the lottery, the reason the children were collecting…
The definition of Romeo and Juliet's relationship is or was lust. Lust means you want something so badly you can't stop thinking about it. Lusting for the same thing doesn't last forever. Their will always be something new you lust for from time to time. When you see a shirt that is just your style of coure your going to get it but your style can change. It's just like Romeo's "love" for Juliet and vice versa.…
In the world today there are numbers all around us. We use words to describe a certain number like one dozen meaning “12”. What about the number $70.5 billion? Does that mean anything specifically? It should because that is the amount the United States spent on the lottery in 2014 (Thompson). The issue at hand is the United States lottery appeals to lower-class society by using their hopes to waste their money on the lottery. The government does this because there is little to no regulations on the advertisements of the lottery. My position on this topic is not for nor against the lottery but a change in the regulations of ways to advertise and promote the lottery, and the criteria of who can play the lottery should be altered.…