Our Morality, Lessons And Things That We Learn Through The Course Of Our Lives

In the film “The Lottery” we are shown just how much the villagers have been desensitized to the idea of killing one of their own for the sake of tradition. The initial scenes show children light-heartedly gathering stones about the town. They giggle and joke with each other while collecting an arsenal. A group of men nearby engage in their own jokes and small talk, as if it was just another day. The most remarkable exchange occurs between the eventual victim, who almost missed her date with destiny while washing her dishes and the head of the lottery. Banter exchanged between the two and there were actually chuckles throughout

Human nature is the distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting that humans tend to have naturally. At the heart of “The Lottery” lies the question of whether the townspeople continue the practice due to their human nature, or if this cruel tradition leads the townspeople to continually act against their human nature. In answering that question, A.R. Coulthard clearly argues that “savagery fuels evil tradition, not vice versa”. However, Jackson never seems to make a strong statement that the nature of the

Without the lottery, however, there would not be a murder for the villagers to take pleasure in. Seymore Lainhoff supports this image of savagery by saying that the theme of the lottery is that “beneath our civilized surface, patterns of savage behavior are at work” (1). The villagers continue the tradition because the lottery gives them an outlet for the meanness that they have a fondness for. Helen Nebeker makes this claim in her essay “The Lottery: Symbolic Tour de Force”, the lottery ritual does not just provide “a channel to release repressed cruelties” but it “actually serves to generate the cruelties” (102). With every lottery that passes, their need for cruelty grows. As this need grows it makes them crave more.

One aspect of human nature that is examined, and that adds to the effectiveness of the story, is man's tendency to resist change. This is shown in more than one way. The first way is the way some villagers tolerate the lottery even though they know it is wrong, and it serves no purpose. They talk about how other towns have already stopped having

“Paul’s Case,” a short story written by Willa Cather, is widely known and taught throughout English classes ranging from high school to college level. This is perhaps Cather’s most famous and reprinted short story, and for good reason. The main character, Paul, is constantly being developed through the story leaving the reader trying to keep up. There are also countless other aspects of “Paul’s Case” that call for attention. Two of the most significant aspects that the author uses are foreshadowing and symbolism. Throughout the text, Cather does a magnificent job of using the elements of foreshadowing and symbolism to allude to Paul deciding to commit suicide.

In both stories, the authors use symbolism to show the reader the impact that the characters’ surroundings had on them. Paul reacted by running away and trying to make his dream world a reality. In the end, he decided that he would rather end his life than to return to the mundane lifestyle he left behind. The narrator of

The Lottery is another story of a seemingly perfect town that sacrifices one for the sake of many, but in this instance, the sacrifice is in vain because it is just a superstitious tradition. The citizens of this town were blinded by tradition and rituals of the town even though many have forgotten why they do the lottery. Jackson shows this when she wrote, “The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers. who had time and energy to devote to civic activities” (The Lottery 1). It likens these common and cheerful events such as dances and Halloween programs to the sacrificing of an innocent person to better their year. The village seemed so calm and peaceful, but they were still inclined to sin and did not feel much guilt when stoning. The Lotter depicts a dystopian society because a person is being immorally killed every year and no one is stopping it. The event has become dull and repetitive but is still being followed by the families in The Lottery. This theme is very common in dystopian societies and is shown in the evilness of the Lottery.

Culture and history have always remained an important influence on literature. It can be both cruel and inspiring in their own ways. Jackson’s “The Lottery” can also be seen in this context. Culture is a powerful influence in people’s lives which are bound by traditions and customs. The author uses numerous symbols to portray the worst flaws of human creatures. She uses names, mostly symbols to show the ignorance of sacrificial lottery. The sacrifices which used to satisfy the god of harvest, have no meaning to their culture. However, The Lottery does not only represent tradition. It serves a fear in the villagers that if they rebel against the social rules, they might be selected for the next lottery. The author is showing how a person would rather sacrifice their own

In Genesis one and two, it provides a full understanding of God’s creations and wisdom of human nature because it is free from evil. Human nature is revealed from Genesis one with God creating the Earth and the Heavens and creating the man of his likeness. The Bible explains how God created Adam, from dust and was placed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:7). The Bible explains humanity was created to work and serve (Genesis 2:15). Subsequently, Eve was created; “God had created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Adam and Eve would help God because He wanted them to multiply the Earth by taking care of all of his creation (Hiles & Smith, 2014). God is the sovereign ruler, he created humanity as how he should have wanted. The Bible explains about human nature that God created everything to be distinct from animals and all of His creation. God created us in his own image, which is why we all look different; we are unique in His eyes. Also, God created us to be good because we are born innocent of all evil and loving of God. In addition, we were all born pure as Adam and Eve were. The Bible explains that God was pleased with his creations, “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10-21).

Their quest to hunt and kill the other led to nothing of importance or progression, they became trapped in peril as the force of mother nature became a bigger conflict than their ultimate enemy. In The Lottery the characters are emotionless towards others, they feel no empathy or remorse. As Tessie was put to death the characters remained calm, sort of relieved it wasn’t them on the other side of the pebbles being put to death by the “community” because of a draw. Even Tessie Hutchinson wasn’t one to complain before her fate of being stoned to death had become reality. After it was her who was chosen, she objected the tradition. The villagers are narcissistic and completely oblivious to the transgressive June 27th tradition. This is a direct insight into how people in our real world operate. We only seek action and justice once the problem begins to affect us firsthand. The lack of empathy prevents us from creating an amicable world.

"Paul's Case" is a story that goes way beyond just words; the settings help you to identify and relate the surroundings to how the boy feels and react. In the end Paul chose death over his drab lifestyle back on Cordelia Street. This surrounding was unfortunately the one that killed him. The idea of going back to a life of hopelessness, despair and plainness was too much for him. His infatuation with the theater allowed him to live forever in a single

In Jackson 's 'The Lottery, custom and tradition institutionalize atrocious acts. In the story the setting is a small, what looks to be an inspiring community with a population of around three hundred people. Jackson paints a picture of a community where he said, “flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” (1) . Jackson wants the audience to believe that the community was ordinary and innocent, but ends with a dramatic and unnecessary stoning. It leaves the readers stunned, but Religious Persecution happens all over the world in the most remote place and right in our back yards, and readers are not able to wrap their minds around that truth. On a quiet morning, June 27th, the residents, beginning with the

Paul finally escaped the hostile world he lived in, but his money-bought romance did not last long. When he discovers that his theft has been made known in the new papers, and all the stolen money has ran out, he knew he had to go back to his real life. After a week of having the glamorized life he was longing for, Paul refused to go back to face the reality that he left behind in Pittsburgh. Paul knew he couldn’t go on forever in the City with no money in his pockets so he decided to give up on his own life. While going to get on his train that would bring him back to reality, Paul stepped out in front of it and killed himself.

The first paragraphs describe Paul as a very rebellious, yet charming young kid. He has a demeanor about him that he is almost too cool. “Paul entered the faculty room suave and smiling,” (Cather 897). His attitude when he walks in is he is very calm and doesn’t seem to care much about the consequences he may receive. “When questioned by the Principal as to why he was there, Paul state, politely enough, that he wanted to come back to school. This was a lie, but Paul was quite accustomed to lying; found it, indeed, indispensable for overcoming friction,” (Cather 898). This shows how he is different and why is he there being suspended from school. I did not see his suicide foreshadowed anywhere, yet his stealing I could see happening because he was a liar so stealing something could come easier for him.

Life is full of mysteries. From childhood, people became curious of things that surround them. Humans experience pain and pleasure through the senses. However the environment plays a major cause of everyone’s behaviors. When people grow older, they become curious. They start asking questions such as; where did we come from and why we are here? To help us understand these questions better, we should first find who we are. For this reason, it is essential to define our belief system and identify our current values to help us understand ourselves better. A belief system is the essential elements that shaped our set of values for which we base everything we do.