What is the thesis of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"?
Finally, she drops the bomb on us. The “lottery” is not a game inwhich someone from the village wins a coveted prize, but rather an annualcustom in which someone’s life is literally sacrificed. She ulitizes theancient practice of stoning, something that is still around today in some partsof the world. There are rules to make it fair, of course, and age isconsidered. There are rituals, and there is the usual mundane chitchatgoing on before, during, and after. In fact, Jackson writes that “Thepeople had done it so many times that they only half listened to thedirections: most of them were quiet.”
Another tactic that the author uses to evoke certain truths about humanityis to use language that gives a sense of the past, with which we are allfamiliar. This gives the reader a sense of comfort, of familiarity, and ofsafety. Everyone seems jovial, cheerful, and happy, or they are simplyexperiencing normal, everyday emotions. For instance, people refer to oneanother as “folks.” The way that Jackson writes about the lottery, makes itseem like the village is getting ready for a summer picnic. She saysthings like “There was a great deal of fussing to be done before Mr. Summersdeclared the lottery open,” once more luring the reader into a false sense ofsecurity. There are three main mythical elements of the novel: classical stories alluding to foundations and origins, characters resembling mythical heroes, and supernatural elements."Magic realism is achieved by the constant intertwining of the ordinary with the extraordinary. This magic realism strikes at one's traditional sense of naturalistic fiction. There is something clearly magical about the world of Macondo. It is a state of mind as much as, or more than, a geographical place. For example, one learns very little about its actual physical layout. Furthermore, once in it, the reader must be prepared to meet whatever the imagination of the author presents to them. For example, in the opening paragraph of the story, Jackson writes, “Thepeople of the village began to gather in the square, between the post officeand the bank, around ten o'clock. . . in this village, where there were onlyabout three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours.” Shemakes the whole thing seem so normal; it could be any village, from any timeperiod. This is done so that people become aware that, no matter what, they arestill capable of committing the same age-old atrocities, regardless of thesetting. Playing the lottery is a form of gambling- people who play a lot, often become addicted and spend most of their days playing, hoping that they will win money – but excessive gamblers can lose all of their possessions if they do not have a lot of money and start selling their possessions in order to gain money to play. I believe that money can’t buy happiness unless you know how to manage your money. Many people are content when they win money as they can now please themselves with what they have always wanted- if people do not know to grow their money, save money and manage their money- this will cause misery and stress. I think that one of the most profound and intense issues that comes out ofthe short story is how the notion of the "banality of evil" isapproached. There is a desensitizing effect to the lottery in the smalltown that strikes the reader as shocking. The question as to why no onespeaks out against such an inhumane practice is what the reader is left toassess. Yet, the most profound implications are not in the story. When the reader has to gauge what happened in the story, the most logicalconsequence is to introspectively examine the role of the reader in thenarrative. What would be done if we were Tessie in a similarsituation? What would be done if we were to encounter an Old Man Warnerin a parallel predicament? Do we possess the courage to speak out againstsomething we know is wrong when we see it or would be remain silent, being morecomfortable in progressing with the group? These are issues that areraised in the short story. They strike at the very essence of who we are,in what we believe, and how we approach the presence of evil, no matter howbanal it may be, in our own lives. Jackson creates a story that operatesmore as a looking glass, more of a mirror, into our own sense of identity asmuch as we assess what is happening in the story. 2 Outline any six reasons why the Bible is as the word of God 27 3 Identify seven versions of the Bible used by the church in Kenya 4 Identify areas where the Bible is used in the society today 28 5 State six ways in which the church is spreading the word of God in Kenya 29 6 Give the similarities between the Jewish and the African practice of circumcision 7 Describe the covenants between God and Abraham 8 Give the examples of covenants in our society today 9 Outline promises that God gave to Abraham and his descendants 10 Describe the call of Abraham 11 State the events that took place during the night of exodus 12 Describe the call of Moses 13 What conditions the Israelites were given during the renewal of covenants 14 Describe the ten plagues 15 Identify ways in which Christians show respect to God 16 Describe the first account of ereating 17 State similarities between traditional Alican vie of evil and Biblical concept of sin 18 State responsibilities giver to human beings by God 19 Write down the similarities and differences in the Biblieal account of creation of Genesis Chapter I 20 Why do Christians misuse Bible in Kenya Ioday 21 Identify historical books in Old Testament 22 State major division of Bible both Old Testament and New Testament 23 Describe how the Israel broke the covenants they had made with God at Mount Sinai (Exodus 321-30 ) 24 Identify seven ways in which God demonstrated his love for the Israclites during the Exodus
If I Won the Lottery - 539 Words | Free Essay Example on GraduateWay.
Goldstein's book explains that the purpose of the unwinnable, perpetual war is to consume human labour and commodities so that the economy of a superstate cannot support economic equality, with a high standard of life for every citizen. By using up most of the produced goods, the Party keeps the proles poor and uneducated, hoping that they will neither realise what the government is doing nor rebel. Goldstein also details an Oceanian strategy of attacking enemy cities with atomic rockets before invasion but dismisses it as unfeasible and contrary to the war's purpose; despite the atomic bombing of cities in the 1950s, the superstates stopped it for fear that it would imbalance the powers. The military technology in the novel differs little from that of World War II, but strategic are replaced with , were heavily used as weapons of war (they in World War II) and surface combat units have been all but replaced by immense and unsinkable Floating Fortresses (island-like contraptions concentrating the firepower of a whole naval task force in a single, semi-mobile platform; in the novel, one is said to have been anchored between and the , suggesting a preference for sea lane interdiction and denial).
essay examples: The Lottery Essay.
Readers of the time did not liked the stinting commentary hidden behind the sensational story, of how the refusal to change and evolve for the sake of traditions are the real crazy. Events like the lottery do not exist in America, but other, equally brutal things did take place, such as slavery and the killing of native people. Those, while abhorrent today, used to be the norm as well. If people never learn any better in this department either, they may have still existed today, just how in “The Lottery” human sacrifice still exists. The only way to have a better, more fair world, is to let go of traditions that do not serve anybody any good, to realise the truth and stop blindly following the lead of the majority.
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Petra is a dark-skinned mulatto woman with gold-brown eyes similar to those of a panther. She is Aureliano Segundo's mistress and the love of his life. She arrives in Macondo as a teenager with her first husband. After her husband dies, she begins a relationship with José Arcadio Segundo. When she meets Aureliano Segundo, she begins a relationship with him as well, not knowing they are two different men. After José Arcadio decides to leave her, Aureliano Segundo gets her forgiveness and remains by her side. He continues to see her, even after his marriage. He eventually lives with her, which greatly embitters his wife, Fernanda del Carpio. When Aureliano and Petra make love, their animals reproduce at an amazing rate, but their livestock is wiped out during the four years of rain. Petra makes money by keeping the lottery alive and provides food baskets for Fernanda and her family after the death of Aureliano Segundo.