Tradition Of The Lottery essay topics

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  • Their Performing The Ritual Of The Lottery
    1,082 words
    "The Lottery"The Lottery" was quite disturbing to read. It is an very unusual story that has an ending that will have you baffled. You will want to reread certain parts to see if there is anything thing that you could have missed. The title of the short story is also misleading. In most cases the lottery is a good thing. People don't win punishment and lotteries don't hurt them. But in this story it does just that. The author did a great job of telling how anyone and everyone can follow traditio...
  • Lottery By Shirley Jackson
    839 words
    The Lottery In many stories, settings are constructed to help build the mood and to foreshadow of things to come. 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson is a story in which the setting sets up the reader to think of positive outcomes. However, this description of the setting foreshadows exactly the opposite of what is to come. In addition, the theme that we learn of at the end leads us to think of where the sanity of some human beings lies. The story begins with the establishment of the setting. To be...
  • Meaning And Purpose Behind The Ritual
    815 words
    Shirley Jackson's insights and observations about man and society are reflected in her famous short story 'TheLottery'. Many of her readers have found this story shocking and disturbing. Jackson reveals two general attitudes in this story: first, the shocking reality of human's tendency to select a scapegoat and second, society as a victim of tradition and ritual. Throughout history we have witnessed and participated in many events, where, in time of turmoil and hardship, society has a tendency ...
  • Symbolic Of Our Loathing Of Change
    467 words
    The Lottery: Symbolism Essay submitted by Kerri Gun In 'The Lottery,' Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to make us aware of the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. The story starts off on a beautiful summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very euphoric but strikes a contrast between the atmosphere of the town and the atmosphere of the people gathered in the square. The atmosphere is subdued, where the children are 'gathered around quietly. ' The black...
  • Lottery
    678 words
    Times May Not Be "A'Changin' " Although portrayed in a particularly gruesome scenario, author Shirley Jackson conveys the importance of upholding tradition in her short story, "The Lottery". While the climactic execution-by-stoning isn't quite a modern example, it still serves to show us that some traditions are worth upholding. In our society today, it seems as if there is a growing movement to look forward and embrace the new instead of remembering our past. But to effectively make changes and...
  • Town's Economic Success And Their Ability
    2,927 words
    Economics is a way of life: The Lottery is notA lottery is something that many people would be very excited to win. Most people think of a huge cash reward for winning a lottery. The thought of millions of dollars being awarded just because they picked your name is very exciting. In most cases, the possibility of winning one of these great lotteries is very slim; you would have a better chance of being hit by lightning. Shirley Jackson writes about a lottery that took place in a small farming co...
  • Readers To The Black Box
    891 words
    In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, she speaks much about tradition in a small town in which many have been lost over the years. The black box, which Shirley speaks about in the beginning of the story, is of great importance. The black box represents the entrapment of tradition and the change over time. It is the trapping of tradition because now that it is worn and ragged they still do not want to change it because it is tradition. Along with the box changing many people's views on The Lottery...
  • Seemingly Normal And Quaint Little Village
    578 words
    Slips of Fate In the short story 'The Lottery'; by Shirley Jackson, the author uses irony to expand on a theme of traditions that continue although they are ludicrous and barbaric. 'Like a lamb to slaughter'; comes to mind for both the characters in this story and the reader. The characters are honoring a tradition that is handed down to them from former generations. The reader is led through the seemingly normal and quaint little village, and is taken on a ride of ironic horror as they slowly g...
  • Lottery By Shirley Jackson
    706 words
    "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson was written in 1948. The story takes place in a village square of a town on June 27th. The author does not use much emotion in the writing to show how the barbaric act that is going on is look at as normal. This story is about a town that has a lottery once a year to choose who should be sacrificed, so that the town will have a plentiful year for growing crops. Jackson has many messages about human nature in this short story. The most important message she convey...
  • Sacrifice In The Lottery
    1,273 words
    Comparison and Contrast of The Lottery and The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas The differences between 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson and 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas' by Ursula K. Le Guin seem relatively minor when compared to the striking similarities they contain in setting, symbols, and theme. Each of the stories begin with a description of a beautiful summer day. ' The flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green' (para 1) in " The Lottery' is quite comparable to '...
  • Lottery And The Totems
    1,229 words
    In many literary works, history is a core theme. Such is the case in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Thomas King's "Totem". Both stories' themes stress the importance of being critical of history. Each story, however, takes a different approach on the treatment of this theme. "The Lottery" suggests one should question history and tradition, and perhaps it is time to move on or change. In "Totem", the importance of remembering one's heritage and past is the intended message and theme. More sp...
  • Town's Past And Their Southern Traditions
    519 words
    Romanticizing about the past, as demonstrated in both Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily", and Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", can be a harmful quest for the impossible. Although memories can be a healthy reminder of the past, attempting to relive them can be a fatal mistake. In "A Rose for Emily", the main character Emily's ultimate downfall is a result of her inability to live in the present and face the reality of the current times. Similarly, in "The Lottery", the townspeople firmly believe in th...

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