The New Yorker

As Liza Donnelly stated in the TED talk video, “Humor relies on the traditions of a society. It takes what we known, and twists it.” After watching and reading the plethora of stories from this week, we see that there are several kinds of humor. Along with the fact that there is an abundance of kinds of humor, we also see that there are many different ways as to why that particular kind of humor is being used. We see that through these stories, there is morbid humor, satire, ribald humor, irony,…

I kept enjoying in my water world. After quite a while I noticed, all the ladies had left, apart from one. She was smiling at me. I swam to the bank and rested myself on a rock. What started as a general conversation, ended up or rather started a new friendship that I hadn’t imagined. The lady introduced herself as “Lolita”. Lolita, the soda-pop drinking, the gum-snapping image of a teenager, from the book “Lolita” was flashing in my mind. Over years, I have met very few women named “Lolita”,…

Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery is about a tradition where the villagers must make a sacrifice in order for their crops to have a good season. Tessie Hutchinson picks the slip of paper with the black coal mark in the center and she is the one to be sacrificed which means the villagers, even her family, must stone her to death. The theme of this story is that traditions can be good or bad. Traditions can result in lots of different scenarios. Tessie wins the lottery and she gets stoned…

“The general population doesn’t know what’s happening, and it doesn’t even know that it doesn’t know”(maybe say smth like “said” or start the quote like “Noam Chomsky once said that “”)Noam Chomsky. When one blindly follows someone or something, he or she can easily turn away from the path of basic humanity without even knowing. Similarly, in “The Lottery” regular citizens murdered someone each year by blindly following their traditions. The overall theme of "The Lottery" is the dangers of…

"Today was going to be a long day." I thought as I walked down the peaceful sidewalk. The weather was the perfect. A careful balance between the gentle warmth of the sun and the subtle cool of a light breeze that frolicked around me. I was on my way to Vincent's house and was a bit apprehensive. Tonight was going to be a full moon; and -for me- quite a full night. "This will be a night to remember." I thought with a sigh, "A night I hope I don't regret." I spotted his house…

The Traditional Rituals In the story "The Lottery" Michelle Jackson provides readers with detailed descriptions of how people can follow ritual traditions so blindly without even thinking about how much sense it really makes to follow such traditions, or how it affects them or their loved ones. The name of the title makes you think that this story is about drawing numbers and winning a prize, but to my surprise it is about how small villages take part in a tradition, ritual every year to be…

In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery,” the plot is about a drawing in a small town where the results of the lottery are not quite what the reader would expect. The town picks up stones and pebbles to contribute to the outcome of the lottery. Everyone in the town must attend the lottery and each family must draw one paper slip out of the black box. The family that draws the slip of paper with the black dot on it must draw again for each person in the family. In this story, there are…

There are many things that are passed down generations. Whether it be a recipe or hobby, there are several traditions that are handed down. A tradition can also be a belief that a family has carried on through generations. Some things that are passed down can be good or horrible. Shirley Jackson’s portrayal of the danger of blindly follow tradition in “The Lottery” suggests that some traditions can mislead one from knowing right and wrong. Growing up, different people practice different beliefs…

is that of torture and death. In the story the black dot serves as a reflection for Tessie. Until she comes face to face with the mirror of reality she cheerfully participates in the lottery, but when she must stare into the black dot, it mirrors a new role she must take as a suffering victim and she exclaims “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” (Jackson 10). The color black on the box is also like a mirror to the rest of the village but reflects a different role. Black is also a symbol “Associated…

The Devil and Miss Prym and “The Lottery” share a few common core pieces within their structure. Conflict, Archetype, and Philosophy help shape each of these stories. The Devil and Miss Prym is a novel by the author Paulo Coelho. He explores endless battles of good versus evil and it is filled with many emotional pieces. The village is faced with questions of life, happiness, and power. “The Lottery” is a classic American style short story by Shirley Jackson. The story is set in a fictional…