...“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones” (132). Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a tale that showcases a strange yearly tradition within a small town where neither the children nor the elderly are exempt from participating. Throughout the story, Jackson lures readers into a false sense of serenity with her title where she then proceeds to illustrate a peculiar and perhaps merciless gathering of the townspeople participating in their annual lottery event. The most brutal and barbaric part of the short story written by Jackson is the manner of death that is used on the “winner” of the lottery. While no specific time period is given, one can still see from...
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...Fisher 1 Stacey Fisher Professor Bailey English 1302 10 FEB 2014 “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” is a compelling story about rituals, symbolism, scapegoats, and the use of unnecessary violence to portray the cruelty of human nature. The story takes place on a warm June 27th day at 10am, the weather is clear and sunny. The townspeople of a small village of more than 300 gather for a yearly ritual, the lottery. The townspeople talk and joke as the children run and play. A black box is introduced and the people start the process of choosing the scapegoat this year, the one to be stoned to death. The turn of events in this story just goes to show you the rituals, symbolism, and the unnecessary violence in human society. Every year the lottery serves as a ritual and the black box is introduced. The black box symbolizes death to one of the villagers who will be the scapegoat for all. Mr. Summers, the lottery official follows some of these rituals by asking questions they all know the answers to. He did so, in my opinion, to keep it official and fair or uniform to all. Another ritual Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves performed was to fill the box the night before with the slips of paper to be used the next morning. They performed this year after year. The ritual itself involved the heads of the households to draw from the box and the one who drew the black dot would return his dot to the black box. They would count his family members and that many...
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...Student: Tutor: Course: Date: The Lottery: Annotated Bibliography Nebeker, Helen. The Lottery: Symbolic Tour de Force", in American Literature, Vol. 46, No. 1, March, 1974, pp. 100-07. Print. Nebeker uses this piece of literary work to argue that each and every name used in “The Lottery” has a special or distinct significance (3). The author hints at some of the larger meanings, especially through name symbolism. At the end of the second paragraph, for instance, Nebeker asserts that Jackson had indicated and presented the season. It was time of ancient sacrifice and excess, with stones representing the most ancient sacrificial weapons (2). Apart from that, the name Martin signifies monkey or ape. The above is juxtaposed intentionally with Dickie Delacroix and Harry Jones with an aim of urging the people to be aware of the Ape residing within them. Indeed, “Delacroix has been vulgarized in the story to “Dellacroy,” who becomes the first person to pick a large stone something that encourages others to stone Mrs. Hutchinson. The above is a clear indication of forces against change in the society. The presence of Old Man Martin further symbolizes conservatives whose role is to undermine any attempt to discard old traditions (3). In a nutshell, this is a reliable source for my research since Nebeker has made every possible attempt to identify various facts about the historical context of the short story. Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. Mankato, Minnesota: The Creative Company...
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...THE LOTTERY - SUMMARY In A Nutshell "The Lottery" caused major controversy when it was first published in the June 26, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. Shirley Jackson's implicit critique of the brutality underlying the rituals and values of America's small towns outraged magazine readers, many of whom cancelled their subscriptions (see the Encyclopedia Britannica for more on the tale's publication history). As a side note – Jackson based "The Lottery" on her life in North Bennington, Vermont (source). Some of us here at Shmoop happen to be from that fine state, and we'd like to assure all potential tourists that despite what you may read in "The Lottery," you don't have to worry about sudden stoning in the Green Mountain State. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. The anonymous, generic village in which "The Lottery" is set, in addition to the vicious twist the story gives to a common American ritual, enhance the contemporary reader's uneasy sense that the group violence in the story could be taking place anywhere and everywhere, right now. Jackson's skillful warping of a popular pastime has become an American classic, establishing her position as one of the great American horror writers. Why Should I Care? So, if you've ever been hanging out with a group of friends and done something truly stupid, you may have heard the refrain, "If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too?" Your answer is probably "no," but Shirley Jackson disagrees. She thinks you – and...
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...It’s strange how people think traditions are meant to be special and known and are supposed to mean on that day. That these days usually come around once or twice every year. People cherish a holiday and know its meaning and symbolism. However, traditions are now always special. Symbol has an effect on a story’s meaning and its indication. “The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson that illustrates a yearly tradition done by people living in a village. In the story, the main character, Tessie Hutchinson, is killed by stones thrown by her fellow neighbors, which makes the setting cruel and very inhumane. “Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held hands out desperately as the villagers moved in...
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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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...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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...Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” isn’t quite what it seems. The misleading title fills the reader with a sense of excitement and hope of winning something, much like the modern day lottery, yet this short story is far from that reality. As a decades old tradition, the lottery drawing is conducted once every year throughout the village to find one winner, or victim, who is singled out by the community. The person who draws the paper with a black dot on it faces being stoned to death by the villagers. In Jackson’s “The Lottery,” customs and traditions normalize unspeakable acts and inhumanity for the townspeople. Jackson offers a great deal of irony by having the setting be in a small village of “only about three hundred people” (539). By illustrating...
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...many traditions that they celebrate with friends and family. Whether it be get together on a certain day for a holiday or stoning someone to death annually, we all have them. Specifically the story titled “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, tackles the concept of traditions. The story is a dark one with a message that fairly blatant. “The Lottery” makes the readers question traditions that have been in place and if they are necessary. “The Lottery” proves to the readers that not all traditions are good traditions and should be continued. A very clear example of this comes from the end of the story when the reader finds out what the lottery actually is, “. . . they still remembered to use stones. . . A stone hit her on the side of the head” (Jackson 259). The people of the town continue this tradition of stoning one person to death every year. Jackson wants readers to understand this and to question some of their own traditions and why they still celebrate them. As previously mentioned some traditions are best left to rot and never be celebrated ever again. But what the author is saying is that if someone and their family are celebrating a tradition and have no idea why they are doing it, they should either stop said tradition or at least think on Dionne 2 it and figure out the reason for celebration. The story describes various aspects of their lottery and the people not knowing why they did it, “Because so much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded. . . that had been...
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...having different writing styles and different settings but the outcome is the same. As "The Lottery" deal with winnings by stoning people, but when the winner are chosen it is a different ball game. I. The Lottery Fictional story setting is normal people from a small village. A. The Lottery story takes place on the sunny summer day on June 27th. B. The place represents normal business places such as post office, schools, and a bank. C. The story takes places around ten o’clock in the morning. II. The main characters are the 300 people of the village. A. Mr. Summers is a jovial man that conducted the lottery. B. Tessie Hutchinson, who was stoned. C. Old man Warner, who was the oldest person in the village, III. The people from the village seem happy to be gathering around for the lottery that takes up to two hours since it was only about 300 people in town. IV. The most dangerous game story settings take place late at night in a yacht on an island, known as Ship-Trap Island. A. General Zaroff’s home. B. Jungle V. The main characters are the General Zaroff’s and Sanger Rainsford. A. Whitney B. Ivan VI. Sanger Rainsford thought hunting animals was all fun and games until he become the victim, and he had to fight for survival while playing a mouse and cat game with General Zaroff's. Analyzing the two short stories, The Lottery by Shirley Johnson and The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, It seems that both...
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...While reading "The Lottery" there where so many things that felt like a symbol but the three symbols that occurred more frequent is: The Lottery, the black box, and the stones. The Lottery: The name itself is the biggest symbol in the story, When you think about a lottery, it is usually about winning something and it is usually something good. The Lottery" was depicted as the biggest and most anticipated ceremony. Although they were other ceremonies like square dancing, teen club and a halloween program. The Lottery brought families and friends together, families and friends gathered together in the square, around the bank and post office. (Jackson 291). Tradition can be anything; from decorating a christmas tree once a year or organizing a family reunion every ten 5 years, all these can be be tradition and it is usually for a good cause. However The Lottery in my opinion was a bizarre tradition, it was not for a good cause and there was not a valid reason behind the tradition. The lottery involved innocently killing someone without being guilty of any sin. Most of the neighboring towns had to stopped participating in the lottery, but the in this village the tradition was still being celebrated....
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...The Lottery The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small town. The story sets place in a small town in New England. Every year a lottery is held, in which one person is to be randomly chosen to be stoned to death by the people in the village. The lottery has been practiced for seventy-seven years by the townspeople. By using symbolism, Shirley uses names, objects, and the setting to conceal the true meaning and intention of the lottery. The names of each character in this story hold significant meaning to the lottery. The name "Delacroix" is an example. In" The Lottery," Shirley explains "the villagers pronounced this name 'Dellacroy'." According to Nathan Cervo "[I]n French, 'Delacroix' means "of the Cross'" (Cervo). Incorrect pronouncing this word provoked the Christian symbol of martyrdom. Another the exam is the name "Summer." summer is, as Amy A Griffin describes, "a time usually associated with cheerfulness" (Griffin). In "The Lottery" Summer is the name of a businessman who is responsible for conducting the Lottery. Ironically, Mr. Summer is assisted by Mr. Graves--the word "grave" usually represents for death. By naming the conductor of the Lottery Summer and Grave, respectively, the author implies that there will be an unfortunate event during the summer. Altogether, the symbolic names above play a role as a forewarning note of an unfortunate outcome of "The Lottery." As well as the character's names, each object in...
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...Oppression After reading Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Emily Dickinson's "My Life Had Stood, a Loaded Gun," one major theme stands out. In my opinion, both show structures of control and oppression. Control is the influence of others' behavior and oppression is unjust treatment. Both literary works are an accurate display of both control and oppression. "The Lottery" shows control through its leadership and tradition. "My Life Had Stood, A Loaded Gun" shows control and oppression through the fusing of identities and death. Both passages also share many similarities. Some of the similarities include the relationship between the ruler, the titles of the controllers, and the use of violence to portray their messages. Jackson's "The Lottery" shows control through the village's leaders and headship. "Mr. Graves, Mr. Summers, and Mr. Martin are characters Jackson has chosen to represent the power and authority within the community. Peter Kosenko (1985) suggests that the village exhibits the same socio-economic stratification that most people take for granted in a modern capitalist society" (Shields 415). The lottery is an annual event in the village. It is usually a two day process, but since this village is so small it can be completed within two hours. A representative from each family, typically the head of the household, draws a slip of paper from the old black box. It is mandatory for each family to participate in the lottery even though they are all terrified of what the...
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...THE LOTTERY When people talk about lottery, the first things in mind are luck and fortune. Every day, there’s a new winner somewhere on Earth, whose life has been changed forever, and everyone else is fantasizing about the perks of being a lottery winner. But sometimes, the common notion of a lottery winner is completely different from reality. A perfect example, is the story “the Lottery”, where an innocent, yet unlucky woman wins the lottery and the prize of getting stoned to death. Even though this sounds dramatic and brutal in our ears, it is not far from what is happening right now, in other countries in the world. But we don’t see it as a tradition, as they do in the story. The stoning of the “winner” is an annual tradition for the villagers; “Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done.” What is noticeable about this tradition was, that many of the villagers don’t seem to really understand why this is even a tradition. “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.” The fact that the villagers had forgotten the original ritual indicates that it doesn’t really mean a lot to them. They are doing it more for habit than desire. The stoning of Tessie Hutchinson does not involve any form of prosecution or criminal acts whatsoever, and is completely based on bad luck. The rest of the...
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...Traditional Barriers(The Lottery) Jamaria Erykah Bryant Reading Essay October 3, 2014 Richland Middle School 1 Traditional Barriers Tradition during the time period of my story(The Lottery) consisted of the men and there son o sixteen having more authority than the women. During this time the village was stuck on tradition ways that ultimately held them back and separated them from other villages. There were se traditional beliefs that was practiced. The men who were consider head of house was only all pick from the lottery box, they only believed in using the same lottery box, and the lottery whic sacrifice would be held every year at the same time and place. One way to prove they were stuck on tradition would be the value the black box held to the Even though the black box grew shabier as each year passed, it was no longer black, splintere and faded but they refused to use another even after it was mention by the younger people in th But at the advise of the older men in the village they broke down the box and rebuilded it us original wood. The first settlers of the village built the box by wood when they first decided to lottery and because of that change was not an options. The first settlers would put wood chip box for the village people to pick, but as the village grew so would the number of wood chips. got to the point where the wood chips would not fit and only for that reason the elders agreed to paper but not without a debate on how...
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