Powerball Research Paper

In the short story, The Lottery, Jackson applies Mr. Summers’ character to highlight his significant role in the village’s life as a whole and more particularly in the lottery. It is also significant to note that the character is also a deep irony in relation to the plot of the story. Mr. Summers is the most notable figure and an important person of all the people who manage the lottery. The lottery is held on June 27th, which is noted as being a full summer day. He is responsible for running most of the things that the village collectively performs since he has the energy and time and is devoted to the civic activities. This is one of the rationales why his character is pivotal to the development of the plot of the story.

Although two different stories, with multiple differences in conflict and setting, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell bear multiple similarities as well. Both stories demonstrate how humans are portrayed as evil vs. good. Each story depicts a protagonist exhibiting conflict with another human or humans. One ends on a dark gloomy path for the protagonist while the other results in a victory for the protagonist.

Being stoned to death by 300 of your friends and family is possibly the worst way anyone would ever want to be killed. In the short story “The Lottery” written by an author Shirley Jackson, she mentions about a small village consisting of 300 residents who most reluctantly participate in an annual lottery drawing. I know, who in their right mind would hesitate to be a part of an event that gives you a possibility of winning a prize, which makes you wonder what the prize is. At the end of the story the protagonist, Mrs. Hutchinson, who also happens to be the winner of the lottery is stoned to death. I argue that Jackson wrote this story to inform us how living in a small community isn’t always a great thing because in a small population people start gossiping about one another, which can lead to issues and could turn into hatred.

Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” is a short story about the annual gathering of the villagers to conduct an ancient ritual. The ritual ends in the stoning of one of the residents of this small village. This murder functions under the guise of a sacrament that, at one time, served the purpose of ensuring a bountiful harvest. This original meaning, however, is lost over the years and generations of villagers. The loss of meaning has changed the nature and overall purpose of the lottery. This ritual is no longer a humble sacrifice that serves the purpose of securing the harvest but instead is a ceremony of violence and murder only existing for the pleasure found in this violence.

How do our relationships with others define who we are? Others affect us greatly. The people who surround us everyday have a great impact on our own life. Friends and family are the people who create you, and are part of the reason of who you are today. For example, when there’s a new trend, or when someone says a mean comment, you might change something about you at one point or another. Who affects your life?

Nebeker, Helen E. “The Lottery’: Symbolic Touch De Force” Short Story Criticism, edited by Jenny Cromie, vol. 39, Gale Group, 2000, 75 vols, pp. 187-90. Originally published in American Literature, vol. 46, no. 1, March, 1974, pp. 100-07.

The article entails information about the numerous benefits of having a state-run lottery. The first portion gives recent information about the economic climate in the United States. As several states are seeking creative ways to meet financial needs without increasing taxes. It is noted that a state lottery is a form of voluntary taxation that allows the state government to achieve enhancements in education, welfare program, public transportation, etc. Secondly, information about the history of the lottery was explained in great detail as to why the lottery is used as a tool by government and other entities dating back over 500 years. Great examples were given such as President Thomas Jefferson using the lottery as a means to sell his property,

The defeat of Initiative 42, Mississippi’s best hope for adequately funding K-12 public school education, was devastating to Mississippi public school educators and their many supporters. Since the defeat, the question has been, “What do we do next?” Like so many others, I questioned if there was any need to even try to fight the system any longer. However, after a lot of thought and soul searching, I am resolved that it is more important than ever before to continue the fight. In fact, I have a plan of action that may sound farfetched on the surface, but it just might work. The plan is at least a step to rekindle the flame that educators and parents must keep burning on this issue.

The Lottery takes place in the town square in the middle of Summer, on June 27th.

Nowadays, when we know death does not help crops grow, but the village does it anyway. The lottery is conducted from a sense of tradition and commitment to the past. The villagers are not sure what the lottery was exactly like back then “Because so much of the ritual has been forgotten or discarded” (Page 49, line 93). The original ritual might have been different, or just not favorable by the town, but he most painful part, the death of a person, was kept as a way of honoring the past. In addition, we can see how the younger , more modern generation is okay with this because the town elders encourage it as well. It is so encouraged, that “someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles” (Page 58, line 421). These villagers are making a

A lottery is a gamble in which participants pay an amount to obtain an opportunity at winning a large prize during a drawing (Lotteries). Lotteries in the United States can date back to as far as 1612 when it was used to provide funds for a newly created settlement in the country. A single person or several individuals can win a lottery if they concur with the correct number or sequence of numbers selected in a drawing. Today, winning the lottery is something most people desire and wish they had the good fortune for since it would bring in a large sum of money. The mathematical likelihood of someone winning the lottery on a single ticket is one in 175 million (Wasserstein). Despite this small possibility of winning the lottery, Jack Whittaker happened to be the one in 175 million when he won the lottery in 2002, for $315 million. The effects of Whittaker winning the lottery affected his financial stability, family relationship, and social well-being.

One of my favorite pieces of writing happens to be one that we read in my freshman year at Titusville High School. It is often a required reading for many schools. The work is “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. It’s a very strange, violent, and impacting short story to the readers. Jackson was alive from 1916 to 1965. The short story was published by The New Yorker and is claimed as the most widely acknowledged short story of the twentieth century. It caused the greatest quantity of mail that the magazine ever received ---before or since---and the majority of it was hateful ("Shirley Jackson's Bio." Shirley Jackson's Bio. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Sept. 2015.). It is not a surprise that people would detest the work so much given the time period.

Irony is defined as using language that often signifies the opposite of what is meant, and it is usually used for emphatic or humorous effect. In literature, there are three main types of irony: situational, verbal, and dramatic. “The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson, and it is a great example of a story that uses all three types. Parts of the story and the whole story itself use irony to confuse but entertain the reader.

This story is about a ritual performed in a small town of about 300 people each year on June 27th. On that day all members of each family begin to assemble at ten in the morning to conduct the annual lottery. The lottery has taken place for years and the practice is conducted to choose a suitable sacrifice for a successful harvest. The lottery is conducted Mr. Summers who is married but with no children and he is assisted by Mr. Graves. Before starting the lottery several lists are created which must include each member of every family in the town. It also verified that each member of the community is present before the lottery begins. To conduct the lottery a very old black box is brought forward and a piece of paper with each member from the community is placed inside of it.

Sometimes one finds themselves with everything, but the contemplates and wonders if they are truest pleased. In Powerball, winning a grand amount of money can fulfill one for a while, but then something can unexpectively change that satisfaction forever. Humans can never be gratified.