...“Sacrifice” it is to offer or give up something for the benefit of something else. Sacrifice is the theme of the short stories “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by author Ursula K. Leguin. The setting of both the stories is overall the same. The stories in the beginning are picturesque. “The Lottery” sets place in a quaint peaceful town and is clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” The Lottery is held every year and the readers assume that the gathering of the people in the town square is a positive significance for winning the lottery but the author briefly mentions about what the future holds, before the story unfolds. For instance the children picking up stones and “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the...
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...Society’s conformation to honor traditions Shirley Jackson’s observation on individuals not questioning the society in 1948, is reflected in the shocking short story. The scope of this literary essay is to examine the use of symbolism, foreshadowing and irony which represent the negative consequence of the lottery. In “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, Jackson uses symbolism, foreshadowing and irony to illustrate how society conforms to honor traditions which are outdated and barbarian. Jackson’s use of objects and names in the story symbolize the religious and symbolic meaning which leads to the brutal death of an innocent. In the story stones are very symbolic as it represents the death of an innocent individual. Stoning is a few methods...
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...“The Lottery” and “The Most Dangerous Game” Fiction: Essay ENGL 102 Composition and Literature Liberty University Professor Rachel Downie 201540 Fall 2015 ENGL 102-D27 OUTLINE I. Introduction: a. Thesis Statement: Through scenery and characterization in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, the violence in human nature is put to the test with what is right and what has become tradition. II. The Scenery: a. Scenery of lottery is so serene, peaceful, and beautiful compared to what is going to happen. b. Compare scenery of “Most Dangerous Game” with “The Lottery” c. Discuss how these two set the scene for two events that take place III. Characterization: a. Discuss the attitude of the village in “The Lottery” b. Discuss the attitude of General Zaroff in “The Most Dangerous Game” c. How these two attitudes go together and also go against each other IV. Human Nature: a. Human nature in “The Lottery” b. Human nature in “The Most Dangerous Game” c. Human nature in general V. Conclusion: a. Biblical Perspective of both stories b. Final Thoughts The cold wintery nights in contrast with the character Tiny Tim from “A Christmas Carol,” Nemo’s dad in contrast to the vast ocean and entirely too large of a world in the movie Finding Nemo, Adam and Eve in that radiant garden of Eden. All of these characterizations wildly contrast with...
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...The Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner Dashua Murphy Liberty University Online Fiction Essay Thesis Statement: While “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” differs on some levels, both stories carry the theme of death as a sacrifice for greater gain. 1) Need a. “The Lottery”: the village needs to uphold a cruel tradition to ensure a bountiful harvest b. “The Rocking-Horse Winner”: Paul needs to get “lucky” to satisfy the never ending needs of his mothers “unluckiness” 2) Unhealthy Support systems a. In “The Lottery” many of the villagers unconsciously support the cruel tradition of stoning one of its members for a better harvest b. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” Bassett and Uncle Oscar unwittingly attribute to Paul’s failing of health and considerable need to stay “lucky” 3) Ritual practices a. The lottery is conducted yearly to select the “winner” who will become the “sacrificial lamb” that will preserve the life of the village b. Paul madly rides his rocking horse on a journey to where “luck” is until he receives an answer for who the winning horse will be in the next race 4) Untimely Death a. Tessie is stoned to death after her husband selects the slip of paper that has the “black spot” and her family has to re-draw for the “winning” ticket b. Paul dies as a result of pursuing an answer for his greatest and most rewarding Derby gamble 5) Real World * “Jackson” declared the purpose of “The Lottery” had been “to shock the stories readers...
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...belonging and can bring families together and reconnect friends. Not all traditions are healthy though. Both “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost reveal the dangers in following tradition blindly. However, Frost uses symbolism to address this theme, while Jackson relies on word choice that creates a suspenseful tone. Initially, Both Jackson and Frost urge the reader to notice the negative impacts on questionable traditions. The citizens in “The Lottery” choose to carry out a tradition of coming together to find a winner of the town lottery in order to sacrifice...
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...Do you know what a sacrifice is and how it happens, you do? Well let me ask you something, in “The Lottery” do you think or feel like everyone is enthusiastic about this sacrifice,I feel they were very enthusiastic. Also do you think it can be argued that members of the village are reluctant to participate in the lottery, i think yes it can very well be argued. Also do you think it can be argued that villager’s want the drawing to continue,yes it can also very well be argued. In the passage does the lottery strengthen familial bonds or act as a destructive force? I personally think it acts as a destructive force. Why you may ask, well theres plenty of reasons. For example how did you think little davy and his family felt when his mother...
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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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...Traditions VS Happiness In the two short stories “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin, the reader explores similar but different themes. The two authors create two dissimilar short stories based on the same idea, the idea of arrogant people and the traditions that they live in. Jackson and Le Guin show how people are selfish, and they care only for themselves, but they also demonstrate how traditions are affecting people’s lives. Through out these two short stories, the plots determine how the world can abuse innocent people for unnecessary reasons and the fact where traditions can hurt physically or emotionally others. More specifically, the first story presents a small village where...
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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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...PAPER INTERDICIPLINARY LITERATURE “THE LOTTERY” [pic] Compiled by : Nida Agniya Septiara (F1F010038) Laeli Fadilah (F1F010052) Lisa Ayu Christiana Putri (F1F010022) Yunita Marangin Lumbantoruan (F1F010084) JENDERAL SOEDIRMAN UNIVERSITY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE FACULTY HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE 2013 INTRODUCTION In this paper, we would like to highlight in the point of view of woman. We think it is interesting enough to be discussed. Shirley Jackson seems want to deliver a message related with woman position in the society in the period of the making of the novel. We see that the male character on this story mostly has good position and description while the female character only became a minor character which didn’t have any significant position in the novel. Eventhough the major character, Tessie Hutchinson, is a woman but she got ironic destiny in the end of the story. Many sentences and phrases are quoted through the article to illustrate the women's weakness and the men's power, the notion usually called “men’s control of the dominant discourse” in Beauvoir's words. There are some keys in the story showing that women are not satisfied with their ways of lives and try to change their current situation. 1. Woman’s order is less considered than man’s order ...
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...1. Connect to your major. Numerous texts we read this semester had similarities to the criminal justice career field, such as a utilitarian aspect and sacrifice. The criminal justice system is heavily based on the concept of “the good of many outweigh the good of a few.” The same issues that arise in the texts can also be seen in the criminal justice system. For instance, in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin, the society lives in a sort of utopia that is paid for with the life of an innocent. The way the current criminal justice system is set up, innocent people can be sent to jail and individuals may receive a harsher sentence because it makes society as a whole feel safer. No punishment is given to any member of...
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...2012 “The Lottery” The ending of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a surprise. However, there are numerous hints and clues that foreshadow what is to come. The lottery is conducted by Mr. Summers. Mr. Summers, the lottery official, arrives in the town square where all the villagers have gathered. He carries with him the first of the major symbols Jackson employs in her story, a lottery box. The reader does not know until the very end of the story that the lottery is about death and sacrifice, but the box itself reveals hints of its true purpose. The box is black, old, and decaying , “The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained ( 137; par 5) . In many cultures, black is often associated with death. When Mr. Summers calls her family's name to draw a lottery ticket, Tessie Hutchinson tells her husband, "Get up there Bill" (139; par. 29). However, when Bill draws a black-dotted Lottery ticket, Tessie puts up quite a protest, saying "It wasn't fair" (140; par. 51). She claims her husband was rushed and did not have time to pull the ticket he really wanted. Later, when Tessie pulls the ticket with a black dot during the Hutchinson family drawing, she continues ranting with similar protests. At this point, winning the lottery doesn’t seem to be a good thing. Another hint to this not being a happy occasion, is the lottery beginning...
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...Shirley Jackson wrote both “The Lottery” and “Charles. Both have their similarities, but both also have their differences. There are six main ones, however, that shouldn’t be overlooked due to how vastly different or similar they are. “Charles” and “The Lottery” have plenty of similarities, but some of the larger ones include; foreshadowing, dialogue, and irony/plot twist. The two short stories share the literary element of foreshadowing. In “The Lottery”, foreshadowing was used when it mentioned how the kids in the village collecting stones and how the town nervously interacted with each other, implying something fishy was going on; that the lotter was something you didn’t want to win. In “Charles”, it’s used when Laurie first comes home, and his mom...
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...The hardships of fighting against injustice articulated by Martin Luther King Jr. in "Letter from a Birmingham Prison" are accentuated by the moral narrative of Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery". Namely, the thematic correlation of the townspeople in "The Lottery" and the silent sympathizers addressed in "Letter to Birmingham Prison", both of whom practice adherence to the status quo even when questioning the legitimacy of the practice. Additionally, King's strong moral resolve is sharply contrasted by the weak resolve of the townspeople depicted by Jackson. Reading "The Lottery" strengthens the impact of King's words and portrays his detractors in the negative light. The way these writings compliment each other shows the tendency people...
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...For example, Old man warner is just as his name implies: the oldest man in the story; he has survived 77 lotteries (395). His name goes beyond the literal when we look at the denotation of his last name Warner, one who warns. His role in the story is to actually warn of the dangers of straying from the tradition of the lottery. Jackson doesn’t just stick with the obvious names. She uses christianity as symbolism for her names. One of the families in the lottery is the Adams family who is the first to pick the white slip and the first to openly complain about the lottery itself. This name is the first man in the Bible and he was “kicked out” of the Garden of Eden. Jackson’s use may indicate that there are dangers in straying from tradition of the lottery. The strongest example is the Delacroix name, which is French for “of the cross.” (Shmoop Editorial Team). The reader infers that this is an allusion to Jesus and his willing sacrifice on the cross. Jackson writes that “the villagers pronounced this name ‘Dellacroy’ (390) and an alert reader wonders why. Later in the story when Tessie is stoned to death, the deeper meanings come forth: the lottery is a perversion of what Jesus did on the cross; this town is twisted just like their pronunciation of the Delacroix name (Shmoop Editorial...
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