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Essays on The Lottery

The Lottery

We found 46 free papers on The Lottery

Essay Examples

Overview

The Lottery: A Metaphorical Reference to a Hyperbolical Fiction

Book Review

Shirley Jackson

The Lottery

Words: 1039 (5 pages)

The lottery INTRODUCTION             Who would ever imagine that a community of supposedly civilized people would take time out once a year to draw lots on who they should hit with stones?   The story of “The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson, is a metaphorical reference to a hyperbolical fiction.  Symbolisms triggered the theme of the…

Essays about the lottery Argumentative Essay

Book Review

Books

The Lottery

Words: 2382 (10 pages)

In fact, statistics show the poorer tend to be the nest spending the most on the dreamy reward, which theoretically makes sense due to the fact that they’re the ones most desperate. But are lottery tickets a scam? Then, if so, why do we people keep purchasing? Lotteries prey on the poor and even the…

Gender criticism of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Analysis

American Literature

Gender

Gender Discrimination

Shirley Jackson

The Lottery

Words: 1169 (5 pages)

Shirley Jackson, the famous American writer,  was born on December 14, 1919 in San Francisco. In 1930, a year before she attended Burlingame High School, Shirley began writing poetry and short stories. But it was in 1948 that her greatest success was achieved. The publication of the short story, “The Lottery”, brought fame, as well…

The Lottery vs. the Village Analysis

The Lottery

Village

Words: 691 (3 pages)

Traditions and rituals are important elements which partially define and distinguish a culture. However, blindly-following these traditions that are meant to culturally strengthen a group can result in extreme situations in real life. Some people seem to have lost their direct connection with the tradition and are simply inclining to the benefits it will bring….

The Lottery Patriarchal Society

Shirley Jackson

Society

The Lottery

Words: 3209 (13 pages)

In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, work together to reveal a theme of a Patriarchal Society through character traits and traditional customs. Paralleling the society during which time the Story was written. It is my argument that Shirley Jackson was trying to show the gender roles of that time zone and the repercussions women suffered…

If I Won the Lottery

Economy

Human Activities

The Lottery

Words: 539 (3 pages)

            Perhaps winning the lottery is one of the events that could be tagged as “life changing.” Aside from the fact that an individual won the “moneybags,” the idea of how to handle a large amount of money could be pretty confusing because an individual would never know what to do next. Nevertheless, if I…

The Message Sent in The Lottery: The Shock Value of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery

Book Review

Books

The Lottery

Words: 951 (4 pages)

The Message Sent in The LotteryThe shock value of Shirley Jacksons The Lottery is not only widely known, but also widely felt. Her writing style effectively allows the reader to pass a judgment on themselves and the society in which they live. In The Lottery Jackson is making a comparison to human nature. It is…

“The Lottery” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” Stories Comparison

The Lottery

Tradition

Words: 1065 (5 pages)

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Flannery O’Connnors “A GoodMan Is Hard To Find” are stories that deal with mans inhumanity to man byillastrating different situation, but lead to the same conclusion and with nothought of the consequences. Jackson and O’Connor use central characters to showhow man has the power to distort reality into something the…

Compare and Contrast the Lottery and Those Who Walk Away from Omeleas

Book Review

Books

Compare

The Lottery

Words: 371 (2 pages)

Authors often use shock to move the audience to a deeper understanding of a universal theme. In the story by Shirley Jackson titled “The Lottery,” a slow-paced story in a “peaceful” village ends with the brutal death of one of its populace. In the science fiction short story by Ursula Le Guin “The ones Who…

Unjust Traditions of the Lottery by Shirley Jackson

The Lottery

Words: 717 (3 pages)

Published in 1948, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson has become well known by the tradition of the village. Tradition plays a key role throughout the lives of the villagers. The title of this short story “ The Lottery” may lead one to believe that something good is to come but later as you read on,…

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author Shirley Jackson
genre Short story, Dystopian
originally published June 26, 1948
description "The Lottery" is a short story written by Shirley Jackson, first published in the June 25, 1948, issue of The New Yorker. The story describes a fictional small town which observes an annual rite known as "the lottery", in which a member of the community is selected by chance.
protagonist Tessie Hutchinson
quotations

“The lottery was conducted – as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program – by Mr. “Clean forgot what day it was,” “Guess we better get started, get this over with, so we can go back to work.” “All right, folks. ″ People ain’t the way they used to be. ”

information

Short summary on The Lottery

The Lottery is a short story by Shirley Jackson, first published in the June 26, 1948 issue of The New Yorker and included in her 1953 collection of short stories The Lottery and Other Stories.

The story is about a small town in New England that holds an annual lottery. The story begins with a description of the residents of the town, who are described as ordinary and uneventful people with no distinguishing features. They are all gathered in the square, waiting for the lottery to begin.

The narrator explains that the lottery has been held for generations and is a tradition that each family looks forward to. The children have been told about it their whole lives and they look forward to participating in it when they grow up. There is only one rule: “they must take part; they must all take part.”

Suddenly, an old woman named Tessie Hutchinson rushes into the crowd and shouts out that she refuses to participate in such barbarism. She accuses them of being idiots who don’t know what’s good for them and runs away from them as they try to catch her.

But then another man named Old Man Warner arrives on the scene, who has been living in town since before anyone else there was born and knows its history better than anyone else does — even better than the narrator does himself.

General Essay Structure for this Topic

  1. The history of the lottery
  2. How the lottery works
  3. The benefits of the lottery
  4. The drawbacks of the lottery
  5. Who is eligible to play the lottery?
  6. How to play the lottery
  7. What are the odds of winning the lottery?
  8. How often is the lottery drawn?

Frequently Asked Questions about The Lottery

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What can we learn from the lottery?
In "The Lottery," the moral lesson or theme is that one should not blindly follow traditions simply because they're tradition.
What is the message of lottery?
The elaborate ritual of the lottery is designed so that all villagers have the same chance of becoming the victim—even children are at risk. Each year, someone new is chosen and killed, and no family is safe.
What was the original purpose of the lottery?
The original purpose of the lottery seems to have been some twisted sort of rain dance ritual. As Old Man Warner explains, the old saying used to exclaim, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (line 122).
What is a good thesis statement for the lottery?
You could write the following as a thesis: Shirley Jackson shows in "The Lottery" that clinging to outmoded traditions is both destructive and difficult to change. You would then collect quotes and details from the story that back up both claims. You want to be sure that your support is both sufficient and relevant.

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