The Lottery Tradition Essay

1. Social psychologists observe that every group develops its own outcast or misfit, who is blamed for all sorts of group malfunctions and woes. Have you observed this dynamic in your own work, school, church, or family groups?

Thesis: After a long period of time passes people forget the true meaning of their traditions by slowly disregarding as the years pass.

Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role on how they go by there everyday lives. In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relation to tradition. The story begins on a beautiful summer afternoon. The town's citizens are eager, gathering in the town square in order to take part in the yearly lottery. With the story focused around one particular family, the Hutchinsons, who

Tradition is an important part of everyone's life. Some people follow traditions so deeply rooted in their everyday life that they don't even recognize them as such. Why do you cook rice a certain way? Well, that's the way Grandma always did it. Others hold tradition above anything else. They feel that it is very important to follow these established customs and cannot even imagine rebelling against them although they may be hurtful in some ways. They may not even remember the reason for these customs in the first place. In the short stories "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker, and "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, the authors both express their attitudes towards tradition.

Society follows traditions that have been passed down over time, although, many do not know the origin. The short story “The Lottery” contains several symbols that were important throughout the story. Old man Warner is a fabulous example of a man stuck in the old traditional way of thinking. The old box, which hold papers, is another example the original tradition that has been around as long as one can remember. Additionally, the stones also represent death and participation of the group due to everyone joining. Old man Warner, the traditional box, and the stones are powerful symbols within “The Lottery” that show the deeper meaning of what the lottery represents.

Jackson uses her characters to prove that tradition is sometimes ones greatest failure in life. She uses her characters to show what draws someone to a tradition, how this tradition can change some one, and how hard it is to divert from tradition even if it is not a positively impacting one. To begin, Jackson introduces her readers to Old Man Warner. Just from his name one can understand that the lottery is not new to him, and that he has seen a lot in his old age. Old Man Warner despises even the slightest thought towards ending the lottery. The lottery has been the constant in his life, and without it all he foresees is chaos and hunger. Old Man Warner is so bound to his tradition that he even believes that in losing the ritual, society will

In the lottery they shape the way a cultures lives and interacts with the world around them. Traditions bring one another together and it's a time to enjoy each others presence. The Lottery tradition plays a role in "keeping the town happy". The Lottery in the town is a backbone of the community; it does not only serves as a day of socialization but also one may see it as a sacrificial offering.

As once said by Professor John P. Kotter," tradition is a very powerful force" (qtd. in AZQuotes). In Shirley Jackson's chilling story "The Lottery", a town celebrates a special custom of stoning people to death every year. Jackson perfectly depicts a possible event that may occur from blindly following tradition without evaluating the purpose or usefulness of it in the first place. Jackson’s use of plot, theme, and symbolism reveal the evil reality of blind faith, tradition, and their consequences.

Shirley Jackson, born on December 14, 1916, devotes much of her life to the writing of short stories and novels. Some of these include The Sundial, The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Jackson's stories, inspiring and influential to most, are also controversial to some. Her most controversial story, published in 1948 in The New Yorker, is "The Lottery." The purpose for the writing of the story varies depending upon the reader, but some might say that it "expresses Shirley Jackson's abysmal opinion of her fellow creatures" (Coulthard 228). Whatever the purpose may be, "The Lottery" remains one of the most famous stories to date. Despite the controversy, readers also notice the symbols and underlying

Many families have traditions that they follow annually, things like setting up their Christmas tree a couple days after Thanksgiving or having Fourth of July parties. To this village, the lottery is a sacred tradition, something that the village had been built upon by the very first people to settle there. Every year the people in this town participate in a lottery that will bring one of their irfellow villagers to their death. The people continue to participate in the lottery because it is a sacred tradition.

In the story of ‘’The Lottery’’ it covers about people trying to keep their tradition alive. It also covers on people that have evil in them. For example, every year in the story people get chosen in the lottery to be killed.

The short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a village who have an annual lottery where the winner is stoned to death. I think the purpose of the lottery is for a tradition when the town first started, but now it has turned into entertainment.

Traditions are important and sacred in families, communities and cultures it is what makes lifestyle more unique and valuable. But sometimes traditions goes to the extreme and people will practice them in time without knowing the purpose or the meaning behind it. In this story Shirley Jackson start with a happy introduction describing the beautiful warm, sunny weather and describing the beautiful nature of the village and that sometimes signifies the irony in some stories hiding the dark, ugly truth. For example, Jackson starts with some kids collecting the smoothest and the sharpest stones to be used in the lottery event and it foreshadow the violence that kids are being introduced and raised on in this village. Mr. Summers who is the host

When the human race was still living in caves, tradition sparked the idea for family,language and history. From the beginning humans have used tradition to from religions and holidays then humanity discovered there dark side sparking countless wars over religion and the reason for unmeasurable deaths. In the stories hunger games and the lottery both societies have a spoiled view of what tradition is, using tradition to glorify the deaths innocent individuals.

Alleyne, Richard. "People blindly follow morally questionable orders from superiors, study finds." Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 18 Dec. 2008, Accessed 11 Jan. 2017. Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games.