...HyeongIk Seong Professor Heather Maclean ESL 100 1 July 2013 Similarities and differences between Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Grace Ogot’s The Rain Came <IT>Jaroslav Jan Pelikan once said “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And, I suppose I should add, it is traditionalism that gives tradition such a bad name.”<> It means that some of traditions which we follow need to be rethought. In simple language, people can’t evaluate their behaviors themselves; thus, they may blindly keep traditions can be harmful to them. There has been a long conflict between the younger and old generation. Older generations want to keep their traditions without changing; furthermore, they believe in inheriting customs like maintaining their ancestor’s spirits. However, the younger generation thinks that if a tradition is harmful to them or need to be prohibited, don’t have to follow it. <TS>Even though Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Grace Ogot’s The Rain Came share noticeable similarities in theme, characters, they have significant differences in setting and atmosphere. TS> The first similarity between Jackson’s The Lottery and Grace Ogot’s The Rain Came is in their themes. <SP>Both these stories have themes of tradition and customs. “The Lottery” tells the story of a tradition practiced by the villagers. No one knows when it started, and no one can guess when it will end. ...
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...1. What associations does the word “lottery” have for you? Did this effective how you read the story originally? How and why? The word “lottery” to me has only one meaning, to win something of great value and to basically have a good outcome of whatever it is that you win. Winning the lottery has to do with being lucky and having people envious of you. When I read the title of the story I started reading it with the intentions of someone having enough luck to win something of great value, but I started to think that there had to be some kind of con to winning it. I just assumed that “The Lottery” was going to be about good fortune but with an ending that wasn’t what the reader was expecting because it is seldom that I read anything that has to do with all good and no bad. 2. Why does Jackson begin the story with such a glorious description of the town? I think Jackson’s intent was to put the reader at ease, make them think of the most perfect scenario of a town. I believe that she did this just to catch the readers off guard and add some shock to the story. I thought it portrayed the scenario as “a great day to be alive” 3. To what degree has the lottery been kept a tradition in this society? How does it seem almost religious? Use specific examples from the text to discuss how the lottery is religious. The lottery is a tradition in the ways that they prepare for it, and the same box that they use every time and the process of the drawing how the head of the house goes...
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...addressed in the short story, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. The author thinks that anyone would race to “jump off that bridge” if his or her community decided it was necessary. The "lottery" is an age-old tradition in the community presented in the story where the whole town must draw from a box and whoever gets the piece of paper with a mark on it gets stoned to death. The lottery is a barbaric custom but no one questions it because everybody goes along with it. The first time reading "The Lottery” heeds a surprise ending. When going back and reading the story a second or third time, all the foreshadowing the author puts into the story is blatant. Jackson uses foreshadowing in The Lottery to warn the reader of the disturbing ending of the story. To start, Jackson foreshadows the stoning of Mrs. Hutchinson by describing the village boys' preparatory actions before the lottery takes place. Jackson lets the reader know that the boys are collecting stones and putting them into piles, saying, "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones... [and] eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square." The boys putting the stones into piles foreshadows that the stones that will be used to throw at the lottery winner. At the end of the story, both the boys and the parents will pick from these piles and throw stones at the lottery winner. The boys’ collecting actions...
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...“The lottery,” symbolism is used to hint at the overall theme of the story. In Shirley Jackson's short story “The Lottery,” symbolism is used to hint at the overall theme of the story. The lottery in this particular story is not used for good fortune but instead is used for death and sacrifice. Jackson combines characters, objects, and actions to create the symbolism. There are many characters, both major and minor, that demonstrate symbolism in this story. Jackson uses seemingly normal people from an apparently normal town. The postman is named Mr. Graves, a name that symbolizes death. He holds a leading role as an official in the lottery. Mr. Summers is another character who holds a major role. His name projects thoughts of summer and the season of life. His name is ironic due to the dark ritual and the part he plays in the lottery. Jackson uses various symbols to portray this grim event along with particular elements that hint towards the ending of the story. The story shows the coldness people can have which can be seen in their values and tradition. The black box is a symbol of the past. The color black represents evil or death. The box embodies the past and shows what’s to come. In the story, the villagers were afraid to even follow Mr. Summer’s idea for making a new box because they did not want to upset tradition. While the lottery was taking place, Mr. Adams said to old man Warner, “over in the north village they are talking about giving up the lottery… “Pack...
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...Throughout the story of “The Lottery”, author Shirley Jackson uses an ironic tone. From the reader point of view, a lottery is special grand prize, not a twisted turn of events which involves death. The use of irony prepares the readers for the most dramatic reaction. Shirley Jackson sets the most obvious use of irony from the beginning. From the first impression of the readers, the lottery is a cash prize. As the plot ticking’s, Jackson played on the belief and turned it to the complete opposite. This gives her story a unique twist. Another type of irony was among the characters. From the beginning of the story it was noted that the tradition of the lottery had took place even before the birth of the oldest man of the town, Old Man Warner. Year after year for over seventy-seven years, Old Man Warner has never been chosen for the lottery. Also in the story, Old Man Warner warns the reader something twisted will take place as he states “Pack of crazy fools. Next thing you know they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves”. The reader does not expect a normal citizen to say this, thinking the lottery is positive, before knowing the ending. Leading up to the finale, there was irony between Tessie Hutchinson. Among the whole crowd, Hutchinson had the most cheerful, and calm attitude. Throughout the finale, Hutchinson would say such ironic statements such as “Clean forgot what day it was” knowing it ‘s the day of when the lottery took place. As well as stating jokes such...
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...Exploring Evil in "The Lottery" The Lottery, a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale of disturbing evilness. The setting is a small village on a clear summer day. The village consists of about 300 residents. On June 27th of every year, the members of the community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate. At first, the reader might think that this is a great idea, not knowing what the “prize” at the conclusion of this lottery is. But as the story progressed, the reader begins to get an odd feeling about the residents. Although they are gathering for a lottery drawing, there is an air of nervousness about the event. From start to finish, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen. This is due to the use of foreshadowing the author uses in the story. In the beginning of the story, Jackson describes the lottery event as an expected tradition that occurs every year on the assigned date. After reading only the opening paragraph, the reader can gather that it is not a "normal" lottery taking place. “In some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 26th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours…” This sentence alone should grab the reader’s attention because of the way it is worded. It is not directly saying that something dangerous or evil is going to occur but only hints that this...
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...Conflict of The Lottery Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery”, portrays the old, barbaric practices of culture. The story was truly horrifying and shocked many readers. The piece reflected one of the most horrible practices of human history that traces back to the beginning of mankind. Winning a lottery is usually a great accomplishment, in this story it is completely opposite. The story began with a beautiful setting “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (247). As the story begins to develop the story becomes more and more strange. When Mr. Summers arrives and enters the town square “The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool, and when Mr. Summers said, "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?" there was a hesitation before two men” (247). Tessie Hutchinson had forgotten that the lottery was being held that day and arrived late and joined her family in the front. The townspeople humouredly welcomed her into the lottery. The lottery had begun and Mr. Summers addressed the crowd "Now, I'll read the names--heads of families first--and the men come up and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until everyone has had a turn. Everything clear?" (248). The lottery began and the townspeople became nervous, “The people had done it so many times that they only half...
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...“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Kareena Snyder College of Nursing, St. Petersburg, Florida The Lottery, written by Shirley Jackson, is a narrative tale of life in one particular small town. The story implies that this is a friendly little town and begins introducing the villagers one by one. The story begins innocently but as it progresses many seemingly useless bits of information introduced in the beginning of the story begin to build the suspense centered on a violent ritual which becomes clear near the end of the story. The ritual held in this small town and other surrounding towns is an annual event that is taken in stride by all the town folk but leaves the reader wondering how such a violent event came to be and how it could continue through the years. Could people actually believe that by sacrificing one of their own that the corn crops would be plentiful the near year? The author, Jackson, takes you to a particular day which annually affects this small town with a population of 300. Initially, the author introduces the villagers one by one and she writes of how the neighbors gather in the town square and begin conversing with one another about various details of their, what appears to be typical, day to day activities. The men talk about crops, the children are still celebrating the summer break from school and the women begin to gossip. Life appears to be what one would expect in a small town as the author describes how the boys in the village begin...
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...rebellion is probable. Struggle with these opposites, and you have a catalyst for war, or perhaps, being fired from a job. Literature represents life, and this theme can be found at the root of many literary works. “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, reflects blind conformity by the villagers with a hint of rebellion. Every June 27th the lottery takes place; the prize for winning is death. The villagers believe sacrificing one of their own will ensure a good harvest. The villagers are so blasé about the lottery it is said “the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner” (339/1). We get our first sense of possible rebellion when Mr. Adams says, “over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” (342/31) Mrs. Adams adds, some villages have already given it up. Old Man Warner’s retort is, “Pack of crazy fools…Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. First thing you know, we’d all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns,” (342/32) summing up the villagers belief in the continued need of this tradition. The lighthearted setting begins to decline as the lottery progresses, but returns to its casual atmosphere at the lotteries climax. Once the stoning of Tessie Hutchinson is to begin, Mr. Summers says, “All right, folks. Let’s finish quickly,” (345/73) reminding us of the villager’s nonchalant, inhumane attitude. In Amy Tan’s, “Two Kinds,” we see...
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...The Lottery Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory Sometimes, there’s more to Lit than meets the eye. The Lottery The lottery is like an 800-pound gorilla of symbols in this story. It's in the title, for Pete's sake. Where do we even begin? Well, let's start with the lottery as a way of upsetting reader expectations. After all, communities across America practice different annual traditions – Easter egg hunts (with origins in early fertility rituals), Christmas tree decorating (check out those patron trees of the Germanic tribes), or July 4th fireworks (well, that one just celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence ...). Anyway, our point is that we're all comfortable with yearly rituals – and it's often not widely known how these celebrations began. See how tradition obscures the history of public ritual? Anyway, back to the lottery. So, we associate lotteries with good things (winning cash prizes!) and annual celebrations also seem pleasant. We talk about this in "What's Up With the Title?" so we'll just say here that, like the blooming, cheerful village itself, there's nothing in the lottery that immediately suggests anything is wrong with this set-up. The lottery is, in fact, operating as an allegory of village life itself: at first, it seems harmless, but then we start to wonder what's going on with all the subdued smiles and piles of stones. So, if the lottery is an allegory of the community, its rules and proceedings must in some way correspond to real-life...
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...In a recent online poll, people were asked to name the best quality, or virtue, that a person should have. The top three answers were honesty, integrity, and a solid work ethic. Gambling is not an activity that could be described using any of these words. Gambling corrupts the values of the life, replacing them with greed and selfishness. It is a form of theft from taxpayers, encourages the neglect of children and jobs, attracts a criminal element, cultivates laziness and lends itself easily to other societal ills such as alcohol and drug use and prostitution. Gambling undermines the work ethic by offering a “something for nothing” attitude and leads people to profit by causing loss to others. Most proponents of gambling consider it to be harmless recreation. However, like the tobacco industry, the gambling industry relies and thrives on addiction. The bulk of the gambling industry’s profits come from problem and compulsive gamblers. In terms of casinos, they produce no wealth for anyone other than the owners. They do not produce a good to be manufactured or exchanged. Almost every dollar spent in a casino is utilized by the casino; -- it is sucked out of the community, not spent elsewhere, or put into a savings account. Gambling and casinos are not economic development. We, as a society, must choose to build a future on solid economic foundation, or build a casino economy where we say it does not matter. The social costs of gambling, the externalities, are hard...
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...ultimately, no one values human life or anything except themselves. Not only is it wrong but the question looms, will it ever changes? The two fictional short stories, “The Lottery” and “The Most Dangerous Game” both exhibit characteristics of selfishness, cruelty and violence toward ones fellowman. These writings hold great truths because they present what could be real life situations today. In comparing and contrasting the two we find how each of these fictional works displays the aforementioned themes and so much more. It is quite interesting to read about such behaviors and actually witness them now. The news stories we see, the people we encounter, the lives we live. What is their value? What about one of God’s Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not kill?” Life is by far the most precious gift that we have been given. The ability to feel emotions and empathize with our brothers and sisters has diminished, and it is my opinion that it will get worse. These are the times we should all stand together as God’s children, rather than turning on one another for selfish and evil reasons. “The Lottery” and “The Most Dangerous Game” show how quickly, how easily, we as humans devalue the live of another; how one person can turn on another in the blink of an eye. Outline Thesis Statement I. “The Lottery & “The Most Dangerous Game” II. What Does the Bible Say and Killing? III. Conclusion In comparing and...
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...April 12, 2012 Eng 1102 The Lottery In Amy A. Griffin’s article “Jackson’s THE LOTTERY,” Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” is studied with key focus on reasoning behind actions, traditions and rituals. The article identifies cultures and societies reasoning behind certain tradition, ceremonies and practices in order to help better understand the true reason behind the stoning in the short story. Griffin does an excellent job of supporting her reasons with historical facts, symbolism, social behavioral observations and detailed opinions about how time will change some things but ultimately, the desire of thrill, violence and opportunity to belong amongst some groups will render heinous acts passed down through generations a never ending tradition. Griffin begins by giving details about the summer and harvesting seasons. She tells about the beliefs that death of one thing will bring about a greater birth of a newer thing. Before the scapegoat concept came in to play, people simply planted seeds and hoped for enough sunlight and water to help it grow. However, over time people began to think if they sacrificed life, then those killed would cause a “rebirth’ (Griffin) of healthy crops. This leads into the reasoning behind the lottery in the story. The character Old Man Warner, the only person left of an older generation, is the only person who really holds the significance of the lottery, which is to bring in a plentiful harvest while the others have lost sight of...
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...Stanley Edgar Hyman. Throughout the years Shirley went on to create several novels, one in particular is The Lottery. In The Lottery Shirley uses irony to provide readers with a twisted tale that shocks readers in the end. The plot as a whole is filled with ironic twists. All of the villagers seemed to act very nonchalant considering the seriousness of the consequences of the lottery. We see how the villagers of the small New England town abandon their normal lives to gather and conduct their annual lottery. The townspeople prepare themselves by gathering many rocks for the ceremony as if this was a day to day activity. The sole purpose for the lottery is for human sacrifice which was suggested that the townspeople feared that their crops will not be full and hearty. Shirley Jackson proves that the villagers don’t plan on ending the traditional ceremony which has a long history. Even after hearing the other towns ending the lottery, he dismisses them as “crazy fools,” and states that if the lottery stops, they will be forced to eat “chickweed and acorns.” What’s so ironic about The Lottery is that it is so deeply embedded in the townspeople and even though they can’t remember the original reason for the lottery they continue to hold on anyhow. According to the dictionary lottery means to distribute something among people by lot or by chance and the lucky winner of the lottery reaps the benefits of his/her luck and wins the prize of whatever being drawn. However, in...
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...Reading Journal 1 Intro to Literature Marissa Simmons 11 May 2014 A village and other villages of this story all host a lottery. This lottery consisted of every one of the village putting their names on slips of paper and putting it in a pathetic black box. After everyone had done this, the person in charge, Mr. Summers, would draw a name from the box. The name that was drawn would be stoned to death by the village. The name that was drawn was Bill Hutchinson, which created a commotion with his wife, Tessie Hutchinson and the other villagers. She was upset that his name was drawn and stated that it was an unfair because she believed that Bill didn’t have enough time to select the paper. So, Mr. Summers puts five slips of paper back into the box and makes the Hutchinson’s all draw from it again. This time Tessie got the slipped and the villages stoned her with the stones that the children brought to the lottery. I believe that Shirley Jackson was had a great point with The Lottery. In our society now, we are so blinded by tradition and stereotypes or even ways we were brought up to prosecuted people or different race, sex, or even sexual orientations. The Lottery shows how the villagers instantly become so blinded when they kill Tessie. Her own friends and family prosecuted her without hesitation because they are following what they believe and know to be true and good. I think that Shirley was trying to get across that there are too many people out there that follow...
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