+++This thread is for the people who have read "the lottery" please do not be in this thread otherwise+++
Remember this good 'ol story? I personally think it is stupid. It did keep me tense but I started to get PO'd because I didn't know what was going on. Of course, if I had known what was going on, I probably wouldn't have read it in the first place, but I found it stupid anyways. It's like they do it for the sheer reason of tradition, despite the fact that they are being hypocritical and. . . .morbid! Having a lottery picking out a random person in a village of 500 or so people to kill is just disturbing. They are being extremely hypocritical because, during the story, a character says that the people who excluded the "lottery" were uncivilized and barbaric, but it didn't occur to them that randomly killing another person actually was barbaric (you catch that?). Even worse, their not doing it for entertainment. Even WORSE, they die in one of the most painful and brutal ways I've ever heard about. Being beaten to death by stones must be extremely painful and slow. My point is, I think that this story is sick, and not in the good way. What are your thoughts of the story?
+++Again, you should have read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson to fully understand what I am saying.+++
Well, you should have read the book? It is a fictional telling about a town that each year has a lottery. The unlucky one who is chosen then is used as the scapegoat for the town, where all the citizens, even the children and the family of the chosen will throw rocks and stones at him/her.
wow thats stupid why would anyone follow the person who was leading all this? they should've rebelled! and why would someone write a story like that. sounds messed up...
I have read the short story (in english class a couple of weeks ago, and I have the movie on my DVR). I think that it is a great, twisted story. You never expect that ending until right about when it's going to happen!
Anyways, my teacher provided us with an article as to why Ms. Jackson wrote this story, and it's about anti-semitism. I didn't understand at first, but then my teacher explained that Ms. Jackson was of jewish descent, and through her childhood until she was a adult, she was picked on for no plausible reason. She wrote "The Lottery" to show how she felt: she was randomly (like a lottery) picked to be made fun of. There was not a good reason, people just did. She also wanted to show how traditions can become dangerous. One person makes fun of her, so everyobdy else does out of fear, to conform to stray away from being different. It applies to today as well. How many people celebrate Christmas, and are actually religious? Why do we bring trees into our house? We don't question why, we just follow suit of others so we aren't the outcasts.
I hope this makes you think next time you call a work of literature,"stupid".
The problem is "Tradition". It is a tradition to do this, and therefore they do it. There is no other reason for this than tradition and finding a scapegoat. The Lottery/wiki
Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult. I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.
It applies to today as well. How many people celebrate Christmas, and are actually religious? Why do we bring trees into our house? We don't question why, we just follow suit of others so we aren't the outcasts.
This is not harmful tradition. Just fun and games. No one celebrates Christmas out of fear...
I hope this makes you think next time you call a work of literature,"stupid".
I wouldn't call fiction 'stupid' but surely is pointless to me. I prefer non-fiction. As they teach a lot more then just stories.
Cenere, you and I are on the same page here. Did you look that up to back up your statement or just out of curiosity?
I always look things up to be sure I am as right as I can be. Also providing a link to all others, so they can get some knowledge to base their staments from. I am a information scientist (or will be, when I graduate).
