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Thesis For The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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Stephen L. Carter, an American law professor at Yale University said, “When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.” In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, townspeople randomly persecute their peers. Victims of the strange tradition are guilty of no transgression other than having drawn a marked slip of paper from a box. The villagers turned against the victim without hesitation; the instant that Tessie Hutchinson chose the marked slip of paper, she lost her identity as a popular housewife and became prey. Tessie’s closest friends and family eagerly participated in the killing with as much enthusiasm as everyone else. Jackson mislead the audience by portraying a false sense of community and proved that …show more content…

The townspeople believed they earned the right to murder a member of their community because they were all at risk to be the victim. Mrs. Graves claimed, “All of us took the same chance.” Although, the lottery unified the community through an adhesiveness to tradition, the divisive tradition destroyed families and slowly killed off members of the community. When Tessie arrived, her neighbor, Mrs. Delacroix, greeted her and engaged in a friendly conversation. As Tessie moved toward her husband a slight cheer and laughter emerged from the crowd. Jackson wrote, “The people separated good-humoredly to let her through…” Mrs. Hutchinson even grinned and joked, “Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?” and a soft laugh rang out. However, the crowd became very defensive when Tessie Hutchinson claimed her husband didn’t have enough time to draw, and insisted it wasn’t fair. Earlier though, she hurried him by calling out, “Get up there, Bill.” When the Hutchinson family was announced the winner Tessie panicked and was soon distraught. When Mr. Summers asked if there were any other households in the Hutchinsons, Tessie exclaimed, “There’s Don and Eva. Make them take their chance.” Tessie desperately offered her daughter and son in law in an attempt to …show more content…

The U.S. was founded that all men were born equal and given unalienable rights. These rights bond Americans of all ethnicities, races, religions, and cultures. Today, many Americans perceive extremists as a representation of the entire population they belong to. Islamophobia is defined as an exaggerated fear, hatred, or hostility toward Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life. Islamophobia creates prejudice and discrimination among the general population. Prejudice combined with overt actions, creates a dangerous environment for its victims, in this case, Muslims. After the events of 9/11, Arabs and Muslims became the main targets of racial profiling. Many report being kicked off of planes and questioned at airports simply because of their physical appearances. Since the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, security profiling specifically targets people of Arab descent or those who are believed to be Muslims. At airports and border crossings, people with Middle Eastern names and physical features expect to be pulled from the security line for questioning. Like members of other racial or cultural groups, Arab Americans resent being perceived as potential terrorists and

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