Much Madness is divinest Sense - by Emily Dickinson
Much Madness is divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye -
Much Sense - the starkest Madness -
’Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail -
Assent - and you are sane -
Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -
And handled with a Chain -
In Shirley Jackson’s intriguing short story “The Lottery,” the reader witnesses the power of conformity. The residents of the town take part in a barbaric stoning ceremony simply because it is a tradition from many years past. Most of the residents, even the older ones, can’t explain exactly why the lottery is necessary, but they participate in it anyway. In the poem “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” by Emily Dickinson, the speaker cautions that when people deviate …show more content…
Bill conforms to what the majority are asking, even though it conflicts with his duty as a father and a husband. When Tessie draws the paper that ensures her death, one of the villagers hands little Davy Hutchinson “a few pebbles,” indoctrinating the youngest generation into the tradition and ensuring that they will conform to what has been an accepted tradition, even if it is cruel and …show more content…
Adams mentions that “in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery,” and his wife remarks that “some places have already quit lotteries.” Rather than discussing the merits of this idea, Old Man Warner’s loud voice complains that people will soon want to “go back to living in caves,” reverting to uncivilized behavior. The irony is obvious as a brutal and savage murder is about to happen. Since no one else argues to abolish the lottery, conformity wins. Everyone will later take part in the stoning, even Mr. and Mrs. Adams. In the words of Emily Dickinson, “Tis the Majority…that
Much Madness is divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye -
Much Sense - the starkest Madness -
’Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail -
Assent - and you are sane -
Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -
And handled with a Chain -
In Shirley Jackson’s intriguing short story “The Lottery,” the reader witnesses the power of conformity. The residents of the town take part in a barbaric stoning ceremony simply because it is a tradition from many years past. Most of the residents, even the older ones, can’t explain exactly why the lottery is necessary, but they participate in it anyway. In the poem “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” by Emily Dickinson, the speaker cautions that when people deviate …show more content…
Bill conforms to what the majority are asking, even though it conflicts with his duty as a father and a husband. When Tessie draws the paper that ensures her death, one of the villagers hands little Davy Hutchinson “a few pebbles,” indoctrinating the youngest generation into the tradition and ensuring that they will conform to what has been an accepted tradition, even if it is cruel and …show more content…
Adams mentions that “in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery,” and his wife remarks that “some places have already quit lotteries.” Rather than discussing the merits of this idea, Old Man Warner’s loud voice complains that people will soon want to “go back to living in caves,” reverting to uncivilized behavior. The irony is obvious as a brutal and savage murder is about to happen. Since no one else argues to abolish the lottery, conformity wins. Everyone will later take part in the stoning, even Mr. and Mrs. Adams. In the words of Emily Dickinson, “Tis the Majority…that