Lottery By Shirley Jackson Essays (744 words) - Dystopian Literature

Lottery By Shirley Jackson 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 begin, Shirley Jackson tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the story takes place. This is important to get the reader to focus on what a typical day it is in this small town. The time of day is set in the morning and the time of year is early summer. She also describes that school has just recently let out for summer break, letting the reader infer that the time of year is early summer. Shirley Jackson also seems to stress on the beauty of the day and the brilliance of nature. This provides the positive outlook and lets the reader relax into what seems to be a comfortable setting for the story. In addition, the description of people and their actions are very typical and not anomalous. Children play happily, women gossip, and men casually talk about farming. Everyone is coming together for what seems to be enjoyable, festive, even celebratory occasion. However, the pleasant description of the setting creates a faade within the story. The setting covers the very ritualistic and brutally violent traditions such as the stoning of Mrs. Hutchinson, who dared to defy tradition. It is very apparent that tradition is very coveted in this small, simple town. This can be proven by the ancient, black box used for the lottery and the significance of farming for the community. Farming is also the only known way of life because of tradition. The men in "The Lottery" are "speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes". This is because the ritual performed in the story is supposed to have an effect on the harvest. "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" used to be a saying heard in that town. The abundance of their harvest supposedly depended upon their performing the ritual of the lottery. Although it is implied that the abundance of their harvest depends wholly on cruel act of stoning a human being to death, there is evidence that not all in the community agree with the ritual. Children are an important focus in "The Lottery". Jackson makes it easy for us to imagine their "boisterous play" and the children are described in depth. I think these children symbolize perceived states of happiness in the story. I also believe they are vital necessities in the story because they are taught and expected to carry the traditions. For instance, "someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles" so that he will then be able to participate in the stoning of his own mother. In the story, many parts of the ritual had been changed or even long forgotten by most of the people. This fact in itself, along with a few other clues, tells me that not everyone agrees with it. One character says, "seems like there's no time at all between lotteries anymore". This means that the lottery is much too frequent or should not even be done at all. I believe that many disagree with the practice of the ritual, I also think that the individual feels helpless in putting a stop to it. Mrs. Adams mentions to Old Man Warner, "that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery" and that "Some places have already quit the lotteries". He replies "Pack of crazy fools" and says, "There's always been a lottery". Although she does not say it in so many words, I find it obvious that she feels that the ritual should be put to an end. This in combination with the fact that many of the townspeople do not even remember the reasons behind the ritual has led me to the conclusion that they only continue the process for "tradition's sake". It just goes to show that humans are creatures of habit and that sometimes we continue to participate in (or tolerate) harmful practices. This is simply because as individuals we feel powerless and unable to stand up against behaviors that have always been accepted. The setting

Writing an Argumentative Essay Topic

Writing an Argumentative Essay TopicArgumentative essay topics are excellent topics to use when writing an essay. They help you get more out of your topic, and they help the readers to understand what you have to say. It is important to write them well, but even more important, to do them right. In this article, we will look at the most important points to keep in mind when writing an argumentative essay topic.First, you want to be sure that you are not writing a topic that is about an unpopular opinion. A good example of this would be when people do not agree with any law. However, sometimes the laws are too difficult to follow for some people, so this article focuses on teaching rather than discussing an unpopular opinion. For topics such as this, it may be better to look at more popular topics such as animals. However, if the topic can make a point, it may be worth having a bit of a controversial viewpoint to make a stronger point.Second, you need to find examples to use for your argumentative essay topics. Although there are many online sites that offer examples, you may want to consider using examples from real life situations, or ask someone who has been in a similar situation to give you their own example.Third, when choosing your topics, think about what your readers will find interesting. This may be different for everyone, and you may find that a subject like psychology interests some people, while a personal anecdote of yours is likely to appeal to others. However, regardless of what you choose, you should make sure that you present your topic in such a way that it makes sense to your readers. You don't want to present information that does not add value to the discussion.Fourth, you may want to make sure that you have a twist on your topic, which is different from the general topic that you write about. For example, you may want to introduce a twist on a popular topic to make it more interesting. You may even want to explore the ideas behind the twi st. The twist can provide more interest and controversy than the subject itself. This is one way to get more out of your essay and make it more popular.Fifth, the writing style is key for the arguments in your essay topics. If you are writing for a popular audience, you may want to use a more conversational style. For example, instead of writing something that is clearly stated, you may want to find other ways to explain it. This way, your reader will be able to understand it and is less likely to lose interest. Try not to take too much time in your essay because your audience will want you to get it all down, rather than just talking.Sixth, to make sure that your essay topics are effective, it is best to do some research into the subject. For example, you may want to find some resources or information that may lead you to an interesting topic. One way to do this is to check out other topics in the same area of study that you are interested in. You may also want to compare what othe r people have written about the topic, and find examples of the topic in other writings. Just be sure that the information you find can actually make sense to your audience.As you can see, there are several things that you need to remember when writing argumentative essay topics. Keep these tips in mind as you prepare for the topic.