Shirley Jackson
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is about a small-minded village that savors on tradition. The town holds a lottery once a year where all the families gather around in a big crowd in the Village Square. The lottery is conducted by Mr. Summers, a man who often leads the town's activities such as square dances, Halloween parties, charities, etc. In the crowd, wives gabber about the daily gossip. Fathers chat about tractors, crops, and taxes, while the kids playfully gather small smooth stones, piling them in a clearing behind the crowd. Mr. Summers calls their attention to get the lottery started, and the scattered family members hurry about and find each other. Mr. Summers brings out an old black box that has been used for the lottery even before Old Man Warner (the oldest man in town) was born. Back in the days when the village was a lot smaller, pieces of wood chips were used to put in the box. However, since the village ws growing, they discove!red to use paper slips instead. Mr. Summers mixed up the paper slips in the box with his hand while reciting some long ritual that had been used ever since the lottery was founded. During the recital, kids looked innocent
------------------------------------------------------------------------ dred people. Who knows why it was invented? Religon and tradition may play a big part of a sadistic ritual performed by the people who die from it. They call it the Lottery lottery over again. He explained, as it was always known, that everyone got a fair chance at picking his or her own slip from the black box. Mr. Summers took the slip with the balck dot and four blank slips back into the box. Bill Hutchinson, Terri, and their three small children each put their hands back into the box and picked a slip. The crowd circulated around Terri, gathering stones in both hands. The cries from Terri held no avail as the crows came upon her. A town that goes to church, celebrates holidays, holds dances, and seems to niche together as a whole, performs an execution by stoning once a year? How can such a village support such a nomadic act? Why was this ritual invented, and for what purpose does it serve? These questions were not answered in the story, but left to our imagination instead. This town act of stoning is similar to the acts of tribal rituals, accounted for in long ago tales. The tribe would sacrifice one member, despite their age or sex, to dea! ly about, the voice of people talking was kept at a low whisper, but the majority held their tongue with heavy nervous thoughts on their mind
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Approximate Word count = 924
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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