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Sometimes following traditions blindly without questioning its origins and consequences can be fatal. Overtime, these traditions managed to carry on simply because they had been practiced by many generations before. Nkepile Mabuse, a CNN news reporter, reveals the newly found practice of breast ironing in Cameroon in her article, "Breast Ironing Tradition Targeted in Cameroon." This practice has been around for ages, and surprisingly it is still practiced for the belief that it will stop early pregnancies if the breasts of young women are burned to a smaller size (Mabuse par. 3). The breast ironing practice is an example of old fashion tradition and superstition, which is exactly what Shirley Jackson targets in her short story "The Lottery," when a group of villagers decide to perform an annual draw where the winner is sacrificed for the good of the crops. The title of this story is deceptive because a lottery is usually considered positive, but in this case it is deadly which does not prepare the audience for the tragic ending. While this story was misleading, there were three main clues during the narrative, such as the boys gathering rocks, the black outdated box, and Mrs. Hutchinson 's objection to winning the lottery that could have helped the readers be better prepared for the story 's outcome. One example of foreshadowing in "The Lottery" is when the kids started gathering rocks, and pilling them up in a corner. Jackson starts out the story describing the beautiful…

Throughout the history of mankind there have been instances of people blindly following traditions and the influence of certain leaders. These instances range anywhere from a family not knowing why they put up a Christmas tree or why they hunt Easter eggs to more radical examples like certain citizens of Germany blindly following the teachings and leadership of Hitler. While some of these traditions and actions are practically harmless others, like following Hitler, can lead to injuries or even…

Symbolism is a literary device a writer uses to enhance a story. Symbols can take many forms such as an object, a person or a color and are not meant to be taken literally. There are many widely accepted symbols in literature; for example, in A Rose for Emily , Emily is dressed in white, which symbolizes innocence. Another example, of symbolism in literature can be found in The Story of an Hour . When Louise Mallard sits by the window after hearing of her husband’s death she notices the trees,…

Once a year everyone in town gather in town square for the annual lottery. As the people begin to approach the old black damaged box on the stool located in the middle of town their hearts begin to grow heavy. Many people would think of the lottery as something that you would enjoy but that’s not the case in this situation. Imagine walking towards a black box knowing that just a tiny slip of paper could determine the life of one human being. Who knew that one small slip of paper could cause…

Winning the Ultimate Prize, Death THESIS: “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson are quite different by quite similar as well. Both authors use Gambling, love and having no love as themes. Gambling in the “Lottery” is right there upfront and in your face straight from reading the title to the announcement of the winner. Lotteries are a form of gambling. In the “Rocking Horse Winner” it’s not so in your face but comes about half way when Paul the son…

In the short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, villagers of a small town gather together on a beautiful day for the annual town lottery. This lottery requires that all the members of the community draw sheets of paper to determine a “winner”. The person who pulls the card with the black dot is the “winner”. The winner of this lottery ends up being stoned to death by the entire community due to an ancient ritual that says their crops will grow better when someone gets stoned (human…

The Fate of Tessie Hutchinson The term lottery creates a vision of winning something of value. In the short story, “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, Jackson took the meaning of the lottery and put a dark twist to it. Jackson gives an everyday feel to the story as if the annual ceremony “the lottery” is a peaceful day for the townspeople. The reader infers that this is a positive outcome based on society’s understanding of what a lottery is; however, the lottery takes an unforeseen twist that…

Analysis of “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” encases the ruthlessness of human interaction in a merely 3,738 words (Cellania). “The Lottery” starts by showing you a small town in America, in which the townspeople are gathering for their annual “Lottery” tradition, in which the story is named after. As the story continues the mood changes from seemingly positive and welcoming to a more suspicious and sinister motive. The story takes a disturbing turn and reveals that…

When you win the lottery, it is supposed to be a good thing. Imagine a place where winning the lottery is not. Well, in the story “The Lottery” winning means getting stoned to death by friends and family. This leads to the theme of “The Lottery” which is that things are not always as they seem. Some of the narrative elements that give to this theme are setting, tone, and symbolism. One of the largest contributors to the theme of “The Lottery” is setting. The setting of the story contributes to…

It is typical for people to have conspiracies about why something was written, its true meaning, and how it ties up with the life of the character. “The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson that tells a story about a village who held a very unusual tradition. Every year the head of the household would pick a piece of paper from the “black box”, and whoever held the paper with the black dot had just summoned one of their family members to death by stoning. It is believed that…